Montoya-Lewis sworn in as Washington’s first Native American Supreme Court justice
New Washington Supreme Court Justice Raquel Montoya-Lewis was sworn in, Monday, Jan. 6, in Olympia.
She was appointed by Gov. Jay Inslee Dec. 4, 2019, to fulfill the remaining term of former Chief Justice Mary Fairhurst, who retired in January as she battles cancer.
Montoya-Lewis has been on the Whatcom County Superior Court bench since 2015, and has served as the chief judge of the Nooksack Tribe, Skagit Tribe and Lummi Tribe, among other experiences, according to an earlier story in The Bellingham Herald.
The 51-year-old will be the first Native American Supreme Court justice in the state, the Governor’s Office said. She’s an enrolled member of the Pueblo of Isleta and a descendant of the Pueblo of Laguna Indian tribes.
Julie Shirley
The Bellingham Herald