SPOKANE, Wash. – Spokane County Superior Court Judge Salvatore “Sam” Cozza died Saturday night. He was 61.
Sources told KREM 2 News he died from complications from bypass surgery he had last year after experiencing heart problems last year.
Cozza ran unopposed when he won re-election in November.
He started his judicial career as a Spokane District Court judge in 1990 before moving to Superior Court in 1996.
No announcement has been made on who will replace Cozza. His judicial assistant John Mueller told KREM 2 News the decision would likely be made by Governor Jay Inslee.
In a release, Superior Court Assistant Presiding Judge Michael P. Price offered his condolences on Cozza’s passing.
“For those of us who were lucky enough to know Judge Cozza, you came to appreciate his keen intellect and gentle and compassionate demeanor,” he wrote. “If you were a friend, you knew you could count on Judge Cozza to be there for you no matter what.”
Price said Cozza served as a leader in the community and was well known around the state for his extraordinary passion for justice and access to the courts for all citizens.