Governor appoints new justice to Washington State Supreme Court
Gov. Jay Inslee announced Wednesday that he is appointing Whatcom County Superior Court Judge Raquel Montoya-Lewis to the state Supreme Court.
Montoya-Lewis has been on the Superior Court bench since 2015, and has served as the chief judge of the Nooksack Tribe, Skagit Tribe and Lummi Tribe, among other experience.
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.
Inslee said at a press conference about her appointment: “We heard the same thing over and over: ‘She is exceptional.’”
Montoya-Lewis will replace Chief Justice Mary Fairhurst, who is retiring in January. She was one of 12 applicants for the seat and said it is an honor to take it.
“I know I will never replace her,” Montoya-Lewis said.
Fairhurst said at the press conference. “I can’t tell you how proud I am. ... I am only sad that I will not be able to serve with her.”
Justice Debra Stephens will be the next chief justice.
Montoya-Lewis has shown intelligence, fairness and courage — among other qualities — Inslee said, and has worked to address inequities in the system.
“As a Superior Court judge, she has committed herself to working on issues to protect children from exploitation and received the Children’s Advocacy Center Community Leadership Award in 2018,” the Governor’s Office said in a statement about her background. “She spent years working with tribal communities in Washington and elsewhere, and is uniquely familiar with the challenges that tribal and rural communities face.”
Montoya-Lewis graduated from the University of Washington Law School in 1995 and from the UW Graduate School of Social Work in 1996. She taught for more than 12 years at Western Washington University.
She thanked the family and tribes that had supported her, among others Wednesday.
“I was raised to remember that I come from those who survived,” she said. “... I am here because of their resilience.”
She also acknowledged Whatcom County, where she said she’d been “raising a young family in a small and welcoming community.”
She said it’s important that, as the first Native American Supreme Court justice in the state, “that I not be the last.”
This story was originally published December 4, 2019 at 11:56 AM with the headline "Governor appoints new justice to Washington State Supreme Court."
