Gov. Inslee appoints newest judge to Whatcom County Superior Court

Gov. Jay Inslee announced Wednesday that he has appointed Rob Olson to Whatcom County Superior Court, replacing the late Judge Ira Uhrig. His appointment is effective immediately.

“Rob has been incredibly dedicated to protecting vulnerable populations throughout his career,” Inslee said in a press release. “He has a strong reputation in the Whatcom County community, and I look forward to his contributions to the bench.”

Olson spent the past eight years serving as Washington state assistant attorney general. His current role has included serving as general counsel to Western Washington University, and he previously represented the state in numerous licensing and child protection actions.

Olson also served as a public defender in Whatcom County and held a solo practice. His experience includes work in the field of juvenile and adult crime, according to the release, providing legal services to the LGBTQ community. He also taught business law at WWU for nearly two decades.

Before entering the legal field, Olson served as a major in military intelligence for the U.S. Army and Washington Army National Guard and received the National Defense Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal and Meritorious Service Medal.

Olson received his law degree from Seattle University School of Law and his Bachelor of Arts degree from Pacific Lutheran University.

Judge Uhrig died in May from complications from the lymphoma he battled for several years.

This story was originally published August 8, 2018 at 8:58 AM.