Washington State Supreme Court justice vacancy (December 2025)
| Washington Supreme Court |
|---|
 |
| Yu vacancy |
| Date: December 31, 2025 |
| Status: Seat filled |
| Nomination |
| Nominee: Colleen Melody |
| Date: November 24, 2025 |
Governor Bob Ferguson (D) appointed Colleen Melody to the Washington State Supreme Court on November 24, 2025.[1] Melody replaces Justice Mary Yu, who retired on December 31, 2025. Melody is Gov. Ferguson's first nominee to the nine-member supreme court.
In Washington, state supreme court justices are elected in nonpartisan elections. There are 13 states that use this selection method. To read more about the nonpartisan election of judges, click here.
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.[2] 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.[3]
Ballotpedia has compiled the following resources on the process to fill the Washington State Supreme Court vacancy:
- An overview of the special election.
- An overview of the appointee.
- A list of candidates who applied to the vacancy.
- An overview of the selection process.
- An overview of the court following the vacancy.
- An overview of the justice who left office.
- A list of other state supreme court appointments in 2025.
Partial term
Special election
- See also: Washington Supreme Court elections, 2026
There are no official candidates yet for this election.
General election
The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.
Appointment
The appointee
- See also: Colleen Melody
On November 24, 2025, Governor Bob Ferguson (D) appointed Colleen Melody to the Washington State Supreme Court. Prior to her appointment, Melody led the Wing Luke Civil Rights Division in the Washington attorney general's office. She had served in this position since 2015, when then-Attorney General Bob Ferguson appointed her to lead the division.[1][4]
Melody earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Washington in 2004, and her J.D. degree from the University of Washington in 2009.[5]
Prior to her appointment to the Washington Supreme Court, Melody served as director of the Civil Rights Division of the Washington state attorney general's office from 2015 to 2025.[6]
Appointee candidates and nominations
Applicants
According to the Washington State Standard, a list of 16 applicants were sent to Governor Ferguson's office for him to make the final appointment. These applicants have not been published online.[4]
The selection process
- See also: Judicial selection in Washington
In Washington, state supreme court justices are elected in nonpartisan elections. There are 13 states that use this selection method. To read more about the nonpartisan election of judges, click here.
Makeup of the court
- See also: Washington State Supreme Court
Justices
Following Yu's retirement, the Washington State Supreme Court included the following members:
| ■ Sal Mungia | Elected in 2024 | |
| ■ Raquel Montoya-Lewis | Appointed by Gov. Jay Inslee (D) in 2019 | |
| ■ Charles W. Johnson | Elected in 1990 | |
| ■ Barbara A. Madsen | Elected in 1992 | |
| ■ G. Helen Whitener | Appointed by Gov. Jay Inslee (D) in 2020 | |
| ■ Debra Stephens | Appointed by Gov. Christine Gregoire (D) in 2007 | |
| ■ Steven Gonzalez | Appointed by Gov. Christine Gregoire (D) in 2011 | |
| ■ Sheryl McCloud | Elected in 2012 |
About the court
Founded in 1889, the Washington Supreme Court is the state's court of last resort and has nine judgeships. The current chief judge of the court is Debra Stephens. In 2018, the court decided 1,269 cases.[7]
As of January 2026, four judges on the court were elected in nonpartisan elections and five were appointed by a Democratic governor.
The court is located in the Temple of Justice on the Capitol Campus in Olympia, Washington.[8]
About Justice Yu
- See also: Mary Yu
Yu received her undergraduate degree in religious studies from Dominican University. She holds a master's in theology from Loyola University and a J.D. from Notre Dame Law School.[9]
Yu began her career at the Archdiocese of Chicago, where she worked in the Office for the Ministry of Peace and Justice, first as an associate and then as the director. She later served as the deputy chief of staff for the King County Prosecutor’s Office. On March 2, 2000, she was appointed to the King County Superior Court by former Governor Gary Locke (D), effective the following April 1, to replace Janice Niemi.[10][11]
In 2011, she was awarded the Outstanding Judge of the Year Award by the Washington State Bar Association.[10]
Other state supreme court appointments in 2025
- See also: State supreme court vacancies, 2025
The following table lists vacancies on state supreme courts that opened in 2025. Click the link under the Court column for a particular vacancy for more information on that vacancy.
Click here for vacancies that opened in 2024.
| 2025 State Supreme Court Vacancies |
|---|
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Washington Governor Bob Ferguson, "Governor Ferguson appoints Spokane native Colleen Melody to Washington Supreme Court," November 24, 2025
- ↑ Washington State Legislature, "Washington State Constitution," accessed April 16, 2025 (Scroll to Article IV, Section 3)
- ↑ National Center for State Courts, Methods of Judicial Selection: Washington," accessed April 16, 2025
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Washington State Standard, "Gov. Bob Ferguson makes his pick for WA Supreme Court seat," November 24, 2025
- ↑ University of Washington Magazine, "Colleen Melody appointed to the Washington State Supreme Court by Gov. Bob Ferguson," December 18, 2025
- ↑ University of Washington Magazine, "Colleen Melody appointed to the Washington State Supreme Court by Gov. Bob Ferguson," December 18, 2025
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedcases - ↑ Washington Courts, "Visit the Supreme Court," accessed August 18, 2021
- ↑ Washington Courts, "Justice Mary Yu," accessed May 23, 2016
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedappoint - ↑ Washington Archives - Governor Gary Locke, "Judicial appointments," accessed May 2, 2014
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Federal courts:
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Washington, Western District of Washington • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Washington, Western District of Washington
State courts:
Washington Supreme Court • Washington Court of Appeals • Washington Superior Court • Washington District Courts • Washington Municipal Courts
State resources:
Courts in Washington • Washington judicial elections • Judicial selection in Washington
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