New justice who believes ‘everyone has a story’ adds to her own barrier-breaking tale
Whatcom County Superior Court Judge Raquel Montoya-Lewis never intended to practice law.
She studied law with the anticipation of becoming a professor — which she did later do — and to analyze the impacts institutions had on peoples’ lives. But Montoya-Lewis got the chance to serve as a judge on several tribal courts and it quickly became the work she was passionate about.
On Dec. 4, Gov. Jay Inslee appointed 51-year-old Montoya-Lewis to the Washington State Supreme Court.
Inslee said Montoya-Lewis, who is an enrolled member of the Pueblo of Isleta and a descendant of the Pueblo of Laguna Indian tribes, is the first Native American justice to serve on the state’s high court since it was established in 1889.
Here’s what Montoya-Lewis had to say about her appointment and representation on the state Supreme Court:
Question: You’re the first Native American to be elected to the state Supreme Court. What is it like to break that barrier?
Answer: “It is a huge honor and responsibility at the same time. I think that it’s certainly heard from tribal communities how big of an impact it is to have someone on the Supreme Court that’s Native. I spent a lot of time growing up looking for role models and for people who were doing things I wanted to do, and I hope my being in that position will offer that to Native kids and other kids who find such a thing hard to picture. I’m hopeful that will be an important part of my role.”
Q: Why does that representation matter so much?
A: “I think that it matters because it challenges peoples’ beliefs about who Native people are. I think that Native people are often forgotten in conversations about representation generally. For a lot of kids in school if they happen to learn something in their curriculum, Native Americans are spoken of in a very historical fashion. It really matters that there are Native people who are visible and doing all kinds of things that challenge peoples’ beliefs about our existence and who we are. … As a society we are better for having lots of different voices. I would hope that continues everywhere, because I think we’re a richer community with more diverse voices.”
Inslee previously appointed Montoya-Lewis to the Superior Court bench and she ran unopposed for re-election in 2015 and 2016. Prior to that, Montoya-Lewis served as the chief judge for the Nooksack and Upper Skagit Indian Tribes, as well as with the Lummi Nation Tribal Court and as a judge for the Northwest Intertribal Court System.
Q: What lessons have you learned from your time serving on tribal courts and Superior Court that you will take with you to your new role?
A: “I think the most important thing is that I have really learned everyone has a story and the reason they’re in front of a judge is just one part of who they are. I really try to remember that people are whole people with hopeful lives and are in front of the court because they’re in trouble or can’t figure out a child custody question or whatever it is. I recognize that we only get a small sliver of who they are, and it’s very important for me to continue to remember that. At the appellate bench we see, in some respects, even less of the story because we’re reading a record and not seeing the trial.”
Q: You have taught classes in unconscious or implicit bias to judges, court employees and others throughout Washington state. Do you plan on continuing that work, and if so, how do you approach it?
A: “I certainly will do the trainings if I’m asked to continue. I generally would expect to do so over the coming months.
“I approached the trainings with the belief that we can all do better by examining our decision-making processes and becoming more aware of the things we’re basing our decision on. I approach the training in that everyone has biases and all those biases always influence our decision-making and judgments. The more conscious we become of them, the better capable we are of not allowing those to negatively impact our judgments. I think that kind of training is relevant to really anyone in any profession.”
Montoya-Lewis said while she was overwhelmed by the change, she is excited about serving on the state Supreme Court. She said she’ll miss working directly with people, but is looking forward to looking at the questions of law put before the state’s high court.
Q: How do you plan to approach your new role on the state Supreme Court bench?
A: “I have a lot to learn. I anticipate I’m going to spend a lot of time listening and really learning from the other justices to understand the job and work. I expect there’s going to be a significant learning curve. My approach is to do my best work and work hard at my job. It’s a completely different kind of role to serve in, so I expect it to take time and to learn to become good at, but I’m really looking forward to the challenge.”
Montoya-Lewis graduated from the University of Washington Law School in 1995 and from the UW Graduate School of Social Work in 1996. She also worked as an associate professor for Western Washington University for more than 12 years.
Montoya-Lewis said her mentors, including a justice in New Mexico, have pushed her to succeed and believed in her capabilities, long before Montoya-Lewis believed in herself, which has been both instructive and important in her growth. Montoya-Lewis said she’s also grateful for the other judges she’s worked with over the past two decades and said that sharing knowledge has been valuable to her.
“I think that there’s often a focus when someone does something like this, breaks a barrier, a lot of the focus has been on the individual and I think it’s really important to know that nobody becomes successful on their own. I have been supported by a lot of people and by communities that have pushed me to take on challenges that I did not necessarily think I would be able to do. While I am really excited for the opportunity and grateful for the opportunity, I certainly didn’t get here by myself. Hopefully, people understand that we all need to come together in order to have success for ourselves.”
Q: What would you like people to take away from your story?
A: “I think that one of the things I was really raised with was the value and importance of education. That value and my pursuit of higher education has opened all kinds of doors for me, and for me is kind of key. I’m hopeful that people walk away from the story recognizing that continuing on in school is something that can allow people to do all kinds of things. I also think I want people to know that my expectation of myself is to do the best work I can for all the constituents of the state. The focus of my appointment has been on my heritage and who I am, but I will work to develop the law fairly.”
This story was originally published December 13, 2019 at 5:00 AM.
