Washington Courts: Press Release Detail

Washington Supreme Court Justices Elect Mary Fairhurst as next Chief Justice

Justice Mary Fairhurst was elected the 56th chief justice of the Washington Supreme Court yesterday by a vote of her peers. Her four-year term starts January 9, 2017. She will succeed Chief Justice Barbara Madsen, one of the longest-serving chief justices in state history.

Chief Justice Madsen, who will continue as a justice on the court, nominated Fairhurst and Associate Chief Justice Charles W. Johnson, the court’s most senior member, seconded the nomination. Since 1996, the internal vote for the position of chief justice has been held every four years in November at an administrative meeting of the court.

“It is a privilege to serve on a court that is recognized for its thoughtful decisions and its leadership on issues of access to justice and procedural fairness and even more so to be its chief justice. I know Mary Fairhurst will continue this tradition of excellence,” said Chief Justice Madsen, “Her background as the former president of the Washington State Bar Association and my personal experience with her as a colleague showed me she is well prepared to lead the judicial branch in the future.”

As chief justice, Fairhurst will become the court’s chief spokesperson, will preside over the court’s public hearings and will co-chair the state’s Board for Judicial Administration, the primary policy-setting group of the state judiciary.

Madsen was the first woman to join the Washington Supreme Court by popular election in 1992, and the third woman in state history to serve on the court. Madsen was elected chief just as the great recession took hold in Washington State. She led the court through unprecedented budget cuts to the judicial branch, encouraging innovation and efficiencies along with belt-tightening.

Fairhurst was elected to the Supreme Court in 2002, and prior to serving on the court, she had served 16 years with the Washington State Attorney General's Office under Christine Gregoire and Ken Eikenberry. Fairhurst was also the second woman to serve as president of the Washington State Bar Association, which also gave her its highest honor in 2011, the Award of Merit.

“I am honored and humbled to be elected by my colleagues for this role, and I am especially grateful for Chief Justice Madsen’s support. She has been a tremendous leader, and I will rely on her guidance as I assume this awesome responsibility,” said Fairhurst. “I have always had a passion for educating the public about the judicial branch, and I look forward to working with the other branches of government and those in the judicial branch to serve the residents of the state of Washington.”

Fairhurst earned both her undergraduate and law degrees from Gonzaga University and started her legal career with the Supreme Court as a law clerk for Chief Justice William H. Williams in 1984 and then with Justice William C. Goodloe until 1986. She currently serves as chair of the Public Trust & Confidence Committee of the Board for Judicial Administration, and chair of the Judicial Information System Committee, which oversees development of statewide technology systems for Washington courts.

As chief, Madsen oversaw reorganization of the Administrative Office of the Courts and the Board for Judicial Administration, helping to ensure the judicial branch will “speak with one voice” on issues facing the administration of justice in Washington.

Chief Justice Madsen also focused on improving access to justice for minority and under-served populations. She helped found the Initiative for Diversity, which encourages and helps Washington law firms and companies to adopt practices that increase diversity among their attorneys. She was presented with the 2011 Social Justice Award by the Loren Miller Bar Association for this and other work on diversity. She led development of the new Washington Tribal State Court Consortium, which brings judges and officials from state and tribal courts together to communicate on justice issues.

Madsen has also chaired the Washington State Gender and Justice Commission since 1998, working to address gender bias in the state’s courts through education and court procedures. In 2012, she led the development of the nation’s first Limited License Legal Technician position, a new position in which trained non-attorneys are licensed to help court users with a limited scope of legal needs.

Fairhurst will be officially sworn in as chief on January 9th in a ceremony at the Temple of Justice in Olympia.