Washington Supreme Court justice vacancy (January 2020)
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| Fairhurst Vacancy Washington Supreme Court |
| Vacancy date |
| Vacancy status |
| Nomination date |
| December 4, 2019 |
| Table of contents |
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Appointee candidates Selection process About Chief Justice Fairhurst |
| See also |
| Recent news External links Footnotes |
On December 4, 2019, Governor Jay Inslee (D) appointed Judge Raquel Montoya-Lewis to succeed Chief Justice Mary Fairhurst on the Washington Supreme Court. Fairhurst retired January 5, 2020, for health reasons.[1][2]
At the time of the appointment under Washington law, the governor appointed a replacement in the event of a midterm vacancy. Montoya-Lewis was Inslee's second nominee to the nine-member supreme court.
The appointee[edit]
- See also: Raquel Montoya-Lewis
At the time of her appointment to the state supreme court, Montoya-Lewis was a judge for the Whatcom County Superior Court in Whatcom County. Gov. Inslee appointed Montoya-Lewis to this court on December 15, 2014.[3]
Before her appointment to the Whatcom County Superior Court, Montoya-Lewis served as the chief judge for the Nooksack and Upper Skagit Indian Tribes in Washington. She also worked as an associate professor for Western Washington University.[3]
Montoya-Lewis received her undergraduate degree from the University of New Mexico. She received both her master's degree in social work and her J.D. degree from the University of Washington.[3]
Montoya-Lewis is an enrolled member of the Pueblo of Isleta and a descendant of the Pueblo of Laguna Indian tribes.[2]
The selection process[edit]
At the time of the appointment, the governor appoints a replacement to the Washington Supreme Court in the event of a midterm vacancy. The appointee would serve until the next general election, at which point they could run to serve for the remainder of their predecessor's term.[4][5]
The nine justices of the supreme court competed in contested elections without reference to party affiliation and had to run for re-election when their terms expired. Supreme court justices served for six years.[4]
Appointee candidates and nominations[edit]
The governor's office received 12 applicants for the supreme court position:[6]
- Laura Anglin
- James Davenport
- Judge Alex Ekstrom
- Judge George Fearing
- Jack Fiander
- Mary Gaston
- Judge Millie Judge
- Jodi McDougall
- Judge Raquel Montoya-Lewis
- Patrick Palace
- Judge Michael Price
- Judge G. Helen Whitener
Noteworthy events[edit]
Montoya-Lewis first Native American to serve on Washington State Supreme Court[edit]
Montoya-Lewis was the first Native American justice to be named to the Washington State Supreme Court.[2]
In a press release, Gov. Inslee said, "Because Judge Montoya-Lewis is Native American, many will focus on the historic nature of this appointment. And it’s entirely appropriate to do so. But I want the record to show that Judge Montoya-Lewis is the kind of exceptional judge I want serving on the highest court in our state because she is the best person for the job."[2]
About Chief Justice Fairhurst[edit]
- See also: Mary Fairhurst
Fairhurst was first elected by voters to the Washington Supreme Court in 2002 and was re-elected in 2008 and 2014.[7] She became the chief justice in 2016.[8]
Before joining the court, Fairhurst served in the Washington attorney general's office and as a law clerk for Judges William H. Williams and William C. Goodloe.[7]
Fairhurst earned her undergraduate degree in political science in 1979 and her J.D. in 1984 from Gonzaga University.[9]
Other state supreme court appointments in 2020[edit]
- See also: State supreme court vacancies, 2020
The following table lists vacancies to state supreme courts that opened in 2020. Click the link under the Court column for a particular vacancy for more information on that vacancy.
Click here for vacancies that opened in 2021.
See also[edit]
External links[edit]
Footnotes[edit]
- ↑ King5 News, "Washington Supreme Court Chief Justice Mary Fairhurst to retire after colon cancer diagnosis," October 3, 2019
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Medium, "Inslee names first Native American to Washington State Supreme Court," December 4, 2019
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Office of Washington Governor Jay Inslee, "Governor Inslee announces appointment of Raquel Montoya-Lewis to the Whatcom County Superior Court," December 15, 2014
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Washington," archived October 3, 2014
- ↑ Washington State Legislature, "Washington State Constitution," accessed September 24, 2014 (Scroll to Article IV)
- ↑ The Lewiston Tribune, "Two Tri-Cities judges among applicants for Washington Supreme Court vacancy," November 8, 2019
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Washington Courts, "Justice Mary E. Fairhurst," accessed December 26, 2014
- ↑ KUOW, "Washington chief justice to step down in January because of cancer," October 7, 2019
- ↑ Project Vote Smart, "Justice Mary E. Fairhurst (WA)," accessed December 26, 2014
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Federal courts:
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Washington, Western District of Washington • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Washington, Western District of Washington
State courts:
Washington Supreme Court • Washington Court of Appeals • Washington Superior Court • Washington District Courts • Washington Municipal Courts
State resources:
Courts in Washington • Washington judicial elections • Judicial selection in Washington
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