Monday’s Supreme Court Inauguration Ceremony includes swearing in of newly elected Chief Justice Mary Fairhurst; New six-year terms for Justices Madsen, Wiggins and Yu

From a press release issued January 5th
OLYMPIA, WA — On Monday, January 9th at 9:30 a.m., Justice Mary E. Fairhurst will be sworn in as the newest Chief Justice of the Washington State Supreme Court; along with the inaugurations of Justices Barbara A. Madsen, Charles K. Wiggins and Mary I. Yu, who were reelected to six-year terms.

While seating is very limited in the courtroom, the event is open to the public and overflow seating will be available in the foyer of the Supreme Court at the Temple of Justice in Olympia.

Chief Justice-Elect Mary E. Fairhurst was recently elected by her peers as the 56th chief justice of the Court. Fairhurst was first elected to the Court in 2002 and served 16 years in the Washington State Attorney General’s Office and as president of the Washington State Bar Association (WSBA). She earned her undergraduate and law degree from Gonzaga University. In 2011, the WSBA gave her its highest honor, the Award of Merit.

Justice Barbara Madsen was the first woman to be popularly elected to the Washington Supreme Court and has served two terms as Chief Justice — one of the longest serving in Washington State history. She has been honored for her leadership on issues of gender equality by many organizations and has served as chair of the Washington State Gender and Justice Committee for 18 years. Madsen was elected to the Washington Supreme Court in 1992, 1998, 2004, 2010, and 2016.

Justice Charles K. Wiggins was first elected to the Court in 2010 after practicing law for over 30 years, including serving as a judge on Division Two of the Washington Court of Appeals, as a pro tem superior court judge in King and Jefferson Counties, and as an attorney in private practice. Justice Wiggins graduated from Princeton University and earned an MBA from the University of Hawaii and his JD from Duke Law School.

Justice Mary Yu joined the Supreme Court in 2014 after more than 14 years as a judge on the King County Superior Court bench. Justice Yu serves on numerous boards, including as Co-Chair of the Washington State Minority and Justice Commission. She has received several “Judge of the Year” awards from organizations, including the Washington State Bar Association. Yu received her law degree from the University of Notre Dame Law School and in 2015 received the “Woman of the Year” award from Seattle University School of Law and the Women’s Law Caucus.
Ref. http://www.courts.wa.gov/newsinfo/?fa=newsinfo.internetdetail&newsid=10548

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