Making History: Meet Washington State’s New Supreme Court Justices
When you walk into the Supreme Court Clerk’s Office, you are greeted by the faces of every justice who has served on the State Supreme Court bench. Along with the portraits, the gallery includes a display highlighting historic “firsts” of the court. Featured are profiles of the first person of color to serve on the State Supreme Court and Washington’s first female justice, and a timeline of significant innovation in the court. In 2020, two new “firsts” can be recorded in the annals of Washington state judicial history.
In January, Justice Raquel Montoya-Lewis was sworn in at the Temple of Justice. A member of the Pueblo of Isleta and a descendant of the Laguna Indian Tribe, she is the state’s first Native American justice and only the second Native American supreme court justice in the country. After more than fifteen years presiding over tribal courts and then the Whatcom County Superior Court, Justice Montoya-Lewis was appointed by Governor Jay Inslee following the retirement of Chief Justice Mary Fairhurst. Her appointment is not the only significant first in her judicial career. In a recent profile in Seattle Met, Justice Montoya-Lewis stated, “As far as I know, I’m the only person in the country who’s ever been able to make the leap from tribal courts to state superior court. That path is virtually unheard of.”
Following her oath of office in April, Justice G. Helen Whitener became the first Black woman to serve as a Washington State Supreme Court Justice. Born in Trinidad and Tobago, Justice Whitener is also the fourth immigrant-born justice, and the first openly Black LGBT judge in the state. She was appointed by Governor Jay Inslee to fill the seat occupied by now-retired Justice Charles Wiggins. She comes to the Temple from the Pierce County Superior Court, where she had been a judge since 2015. Justice Whitener also serves as co-chair of the court’s Minority and Justice Commission, and like her new colleague, has a background in teaching. Attorney John Cummings recently told The News Tribune, “I have lost count of the young people from all walks of life who have told me personally that Judge Whitener has inspired them to pursue a career in the law.”
With the addition of Justices Montoya-Lewis and Whitener to a bench that also includes the first justice of Mexican heritage and first Asian, Latina and member of the LGBTQ community to serve as justice, Slate wrote that the Washington State Supreme Court is now the most diverse in history. The two new justices will also appear in the latest installment of the Washington State Law Library’s popular READ campaign. (LE)
