Sal Mungia

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Sal Mungia
Image of Sal Mungia
Washington State Supreme Court Position 2
Tenure

2025 - Present

Term ends

2031

Years in position

0

Predecessor
Elections and appointments
Last elected

November 5, 2024

Education

High school

Clover Park High School

Bachelor's

Pacific Lutheran University, 1981

Law

Georgetown University Law Center, 1984

Personal
Birthplace
Tacoma, Wash.
Religion
Christian: Episcopalian
Profession
Attorney
Contact

Sal Mungia is a judge for Position 2 of the Washington Supreme Court. He assumed office on January 13, 2025. His current term ends on January 13, 2031.

Mungia ran for election for the Position 2 judge of the Washington Supreme Court. He won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Mungia completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Sal Mungia was born in Tacoma, Washington. He earned a high school diploma from Clover Park High School, a bachelor's degree from Pacific Lutheran University in 1981, and a law degree from the Georgetown University Law Center in 1984. His career experience includes working as an attorney and law professor.[1]

As of 2024, Mungia was affiliated with the following organizations:[1]

  • Washington State Bar Association
  • American Bar Association
  • Federal Bar Association for the Western District of Washington
  • Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association
  • Washington State Association for Justice
  • Latina/o Bar Association of Washington
  • QLAW
  • Asian Bar Association of Washington
  • Pierce County Minority Bar Association
  • The American Board of Trial Advocates
  • Litigation Counsel of America
  • American Bar Foundation.
  • American Leadership Foundation
  • Pacific Lutheran University, Board of Regents
  • St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Tacoma, Vestry Board



Elections

2024

See also: Washington Supreme Court elections, 2024

General election

General election for Washington State Supreme Court Position 2

Sal Mungia defeated Dave Larson in the general election for Washington State Supreme Court Position 2 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Sal Mungia
Sal Mungia (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
50.1
 
1,644,253
Image of Dave Larson
Dave Larson (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
49.4
 
1,624,309
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.5
 
16,654

Total votes: 3,285,216
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Washington State Supreme Court Position 2

Sal Mungia and Dave Larson defeated Todd Bloom and David Shelvey in the primary for Washington State Supreme Court Position 2 on August 6, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Sal Mungia
Sal Mungia (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
43.4
 
762,797
Image of Dave Larson
Dave Larson (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
36.4
 
640,116
Image of Todd Bloom
Todd Bloom (Nonpartisan)
 
16.3
 
286,298
Image of David Shelvey
David Shelvey (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
3.4
 
59,676
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.4
 
7,347

Total votes: 1,756,234
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Campaign finance

Endorsements

Mungia received the following endorsements.

Campaign themes

2024

Video for Ballotpedia

Video submitted to Ballotpedia
Released June 13, 2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

Sal Mungia completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Mungia's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

I am the father of four children, two daughters-in-law, and one grandson. I am in my 40th year of practicing law. The last 38 years of my practice has been with the law firm of Gordon Thomas Honeywell in our Tacoma office where I practice in the field of civil trial and appellate litigation. I have argued cases at every level of state and federal appellate courts including the U.S. Supreme Court. I have been recognized by Best Lawyers in America since 2011 in appellate and commercial law practice and have been named a “Super Lawyer” by Washington Law & Politics since 2008. My practice has involved complex civil disputes involving, among others, air crashes, condemnation actions, wrongful death, breach of contract, insurance disputes, and civil rights actions. My pro bono work has included representing individuals and families who have been defrauded by individuals and businesses. I am a past president of the Washington State Bar Association and the Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association. I am a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates and Litigation Counsel of America – both invitation-only organizations. I am involved in my community. From 2004 to the present Martindale-Hubbell has given me an AV Preeminent Rating which is the highest possible rating for both ethics and legal ability. I currently serve on the Board of Regents for Pacific Lutheran University and am on the Vestry Board for my church, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, in Tacoma.
  • Ensuring that the rule of law is followed is the paramount duty of a state supreme court justice. Our country’s stability has been based upon the bedrock that we follow the law and not simply the desires of whoever is holding office at any point in time. The role of a judge is to ensure that the federal and state constitutions are followed, and the laws enacted by the legislature don’t violate those constitutions. It is not the role of judges to make the law – that is for the legislature. Judges have the duty to ensure that the law is applied fairly and justly to everyone.
  • The legal system must be made to serve everyone. It’s not a fair contest when one party is represented by an attorney and the other party can’t afford an attorney. In that situation, the scales of justice aren't balanced. The parties are not starting on a level playing field. I have spent my career fighting to increase access to the civil justice system for those who can’t afford to hire an attorney. I have represented individuals and families for free where they have been defrauded and the contested amount was less than $1,000. I have represented the elderly for free who have been taken advantage of. I have volunteered at neighborhood legal clinics to give advice so that working people could get free legal advice.
  • The law must be applied fairly and justly to everyone. When there is bias against a person because of who they are, then the legal system is not treating people fairly and justly. I have spent my career combatting bias in the legal system. I have spoken about bias at fifteen legal education seminars. I have written about bias within the legal system. I spent five years with five other attorneys crafting a proposed rule to combat bias that was ultimately enacted by our state supreme court. Lady Justice has her eyes blindfolded to represent that all people should be treated equally and fairly. That work in ongoing.
I am passionate about educating our youth. We, as a society, should be devoting more resources so that all kids have the opportunity to receive a quality education. I know the only reason I get to do what I get to do is because of the education I received while growing up. I started a program seven years ago at an elementary school where eighty percent of the students are eligible for free or reduced school lunches and ten percent of the children come from families that are unhoused. We have providing mentoring together with books, field trips, and other resources for the children. The teachers are great, but they need more resources and more support.
I believe empathy is one of the most important characteristics for an elected official. I believe those in elected office should have the ability to put themselves in the position of all those that they serve and not just the people that they are philosophically aligned with. Elected officials need to do their best to understand why those with opposing views are holding their views and not simply dismiss opposing views.
I am empathetic. I am patient, determined, hard working. I am reasonably smart. I don’t take myself too seriously. I am fair.
First, to ensure that the rule of law is followed. Second, to ensure that the laws passed by the legislature, if challenged in court, do not violate the federal or state constitutions. Third, to follow and respect precedent. Precedent should rarely overruled. Precedent provides stability and reliability to the law. Fourth, to hear and consider each case without preconceived notions.. Fifth, to promote the fair and equitable administration of justice.
I was a paperboy. I started as a substitute sometime before I was twelve. I got my own route when I turned twelve and kept it until I turned 16 when I got a job in a grocery store.
Yes. Justice Thurgood Marshall was an amazing justice and an amazing person. As an attorney, he fought for civil rights and of course was best known for arguing the case of Brown v. Board of Education. As a justice, he emphasized individual rights, fundamental fairness, and equal protection under the laws. Marshall believed that First Amendment rights were the Constitution’s most important principles and could only be restricted for extremely compelling reasons. Marshall favored the complete separation of church and state.
Yes. See my response to the first question above.
Yes, I have been rated by eight different bar associations in Washington State. Two of the bar associations gave me a rating of "well qualified" while six others gave me the rating of "exceptionally well qualified." "Well qualified" and "exceptionally well qualified" are the two highest available ratings.
I believe they may be an accurate reflection but also may not be an accurate reflection of a judge's ability. You hope that the individuals who are interviewing the judge are fair and unbiased. You hope that the individuals involved in the process have enough experience and good judgment to provide an accurate assessment as to that judge's ability to be a judge.
I am endorsed by 8 of the 9 current state supreme court justices, 4 retired justices, in all over 100 active and retired judges have endorsed me. I am endorsed by three Washington governors: current Governor Inslee and former Governors Gregoire and Locke. I am endorsed by Lt. Governor Heck, Attorney General Bob Ferguson, and Speaker of the House Laurie Jinkins. I am endorsed by Congressmembers DelBene, Smith, and Strickland. Over 50 current and former elected officials have endorsed me. I am endorsed by organized labor including the Washington Labor Council, the Washington Education Association – PAC, and the Washington Federation of State Employees.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Campaign website

Mungia’s campaign website stated the following:

An accomplished and experienced trial and appellate lawyer

Sal was born and raised in Lakewood, Washington. He is the son of working-class parents; his father was a cook in the United States Army and, later, at Western State Hospital in Lakewood. His mother was a seamstress and worked in a fabric store. After graduating from Lakewood’s Clover Park High School in 1977 he attended Pacific Lutheran University, graduating with honors in 1981.

Sal went to law school at Georgetown University Law Center, graduating with honors in 1984. After graduating from law school and before entering private practice, Sal was a law clerk for both a justice on the Washington State Supreme Court and a federal district court judge.

In 1986 Sal joined the law firm of Gordon Thomas Honeywell in Tacoma. Since doing so he has been a trial and appellate attorney representing individuals and businesses in civil lawsuits in both state and federal court.


In his 40 years of practice in Washington’s courtrooms, Sal has consistently been recognized for his exceptional trial skills, legal knowledge, and high ethical standards:

  • Recognized by Best Lawyers in America as a Best Lawyer in multiple fields of practice: appellate law, civil rights law, commercial litigation, and personal injury litigation for plaintiffs
  • Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent Rating (highest possible rating for both ethics and legal ability)
  • Member, American Board of Trial Advocates (by invitation only)
  • Senior Fellow, Litigation Counsel of America (by invitation only)
  • Designated as a “Super Lawyer” by Washington Law & Politics Magazine (limited to 5% of the attorneys in Washington State)
  • Trial advocacy teacher at Emory School of Law in Atlanta, Georgia
  • Instructor for the National Institute of Trial Advocacy
  • A speaker at more than 90 continuing legal education programs

A recognized leader in improving the justice system and our communities

Sal has an established track record of commitment to improving the legal profession and the community, and to providing access to justice for people who cannot afford to hire an attorney:

  • Past president, Washington State Bar Association
  • Past president, Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association
  • Past president, Western States Bar Conference
  • Past chair and former board member, Washington’s Access to Justice Board
  • Past chair, Equal Justice Coalition
  • Advisory Council member, Endowment for Equal Justice
  • Member of Vestry, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Tacoma
  • Board member, Pacific Lutheran University Board of Regents
  • Cooperating attorney, ACLU of Washington

Sal’s efforts in improving the justice system, including his tireless pro bono legal representation and his work towards improving access to justice have been recognized by multiple organizations:

  • 2019: Charles A. Goldmark Distinguished Service Award awarded by the Legal Foundation of Washington. The Goldmark Award recognizes the exceptional leadership of an individual, group, or organization in providing, promoting, or advocating for equal justice for Washington’s low-income individuals, families, and communities.
  • 2015: Pro Bono Leadership Award awarded by the Tacoma-Pierce County Volunteer Legal Services Program.
  • 2011: Special Contribution to the Judiciary Award presented for outstanding contribution to making the judicial system more accessible to all, regardless of economic status, awarded by King County Washington Women Lawyers.
  • 2011: Bradley C. Diggs Award for Outstanding Service presented for pro bono service awarded by Appleseed Washington.[2]
—Sal Mungia's campaign website (2024)[3]

Campaign finance summary


Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.


Sal Mungia campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2024* Washington State Supreme Court Position 2Won general$566,100 $566,897
Grand total$566,100 $566,897
Sources: OpenSecretsFederal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete


State supreme court judicial selection in Washington

See also: Judicial selection in Washington


The nine justices of the supreme court are selected through contested nonpartisan elections and must run for re-election when their terms expire. Supreme court judges serve for six years.[4]

Qualifications

To serve on the supreme court, a judge must be:

  • admitted to practice law in Washington; and
  • under the age of 75.[5]

Chief justice

The chief justice of the supreme court is selected through a peer vote and has a set term of four years.[6]

Vacancies

See also: How vacancies are filled in state supreme courts

In the event of a midterm vacancy, the governor appoints a replacement. The appointee serves until the next general election, at which point he or she may run to serve for the remainder of the predecessor's term.[7] If the resignation and subsequent appointment takes place after the filing period opens for that year's elections, the appointee must stand in the next year's election to remain on the bench.[8]

The map below highlights how vacancies are filled in state supreme courts across the country.


See also

Washington Judicial Selection More Courts
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Courts in Washington
Washington Court of Appeals
Washington Supreme Court
Elections: 202520242023202220212020201920182017
Gubernatorial appointments
Judicial selection in Washington
Federal courts
State courts
Local courts

External links

Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by
Susan Owens
Washington State Supreme Court Position 2
2025-Present
Succeeded by
-