Judges appointed by Chris Gregoire
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This page lists judges appointed by Christine Gregoire (D) during their term as Governor of Washington. As of today, the total number of Gregoire appointees was 26. For the full profile of Gregoire, click here.
Ballotpedia provides comprehensive coverage of the 100 largest cities in America by population. Some Washington judges are outside of that coverage scope. As a result, this page does not provide an exhaustive list of all judges appointed by Gov. Gregoire.
Appointment process
In Washington, the governor makes a judicial appointment to fill a vacancy. Following appointment, the new judge must run for the seat in the next general election.
Appointed judges
The tables below list the governor's appointees to the courts across the state.
State Courts
Supreme Court
| Name | Court | Active |
|---|---|---|
|
Washington State Supreme Court Position 7 |
January 1, 2008 - Present |
|
|
Washington State Supreme Court Position 8 |
January 1, 2012 - Present |
Court of Appeals
| Name | Court | Active |
|---|---|---|
|
Washington Court of Appeals Division I |
||
|
Washington Court of Appeals Division I District 1 |
November 1, 2012 - July 31, 2022 |
|
|
Washington Court of Appeals Division I District 1 |
||
|
Washington Court of Appeals Division I District 2 |
March 1, 2008 - January 10, 2021 |
|
|
Washington Court of Appeals Division II |
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|
Washington Court of Appeals Division II District 1 |
May 3, 2010 - November 30, 2022 |
|
|
Washington Court of Appeals Division III |
||
|
Washington Court of Appeals Division III District 1 |
May 10, 2010 - July 31, 2023 |
|
|
Washington Court of Appeals Division III District 1 |
February 13, 2008 - January 10, 2021 |
Local Courts
| Name | Court | Active |
|---|---|---|
|
Clark County Superior Court |
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|
Clark County Superior Court |
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|
Cowlitz County Superior Court |
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|
Cowlitz County Superior Court |
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Ferry/Pend Oreille/Stevens Superior Court |
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|
King County Superior Court Department 24 |
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King County Superior Court Department 36 |
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King County Superior Court Department 6 |
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Klickitat and Skamania Counties Superior Court Position 1 |
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|
Pierce County Superior Court |
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Snohomish County Superior Court Position 1 |
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Snohomish County Superior Court Position 10 |
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Snohomish County Superior Court Position 5 |
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Thurston County Superior Court |
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|
Yakima County Superior Court |
Judicial selection process
- See also: Judicial selection in Washington
| Judicial selection in Washington | |
 | |
| Washington Supreme Court | |
| Method: | Nonpartisan election |
| Term: | 6 years |
| Washington Court of Appeals | |
| Method: | Nonpartisan election |
| Term: | 6 years |
| Washington Superior Court | |
| Method: | Nonpartisan election |
| Term: | 4 years |
| Washington District Courts | |
| Method: | Nonpartisan election |
| Term: | 4 years |
Judicial selection refers to the process used to select judges for courts. At the state level, methods of judicial selection vary substantially in the United States, and in some cases between different court types within a state. There are six primary types of judicial selection: partisan and nonpartisan elections, the Michigan method, assisted appointment, gubernatorial appointment, and legislative elections. To read more about how these selection methods are used across the country, click here.
This article covers how state court judges are selected in Washington, including:
- Washington Supreme Court,
- Washington Court of Appeals,
- Washington Superior Court, and
- Limited jurisdiction courts
As of April 2025, judges for all courts in the state were selected through nonpartisan elections.[1] Under the Washington Constitution, judges' terms begin on the second Monday in January following their election.[2]
Click here to notify us of changes to judicial selection methods in this state.
| Appellate state court selection in the United States, by general selection method[3] |
|---|
|
|
{{State judicial selection table}
State profile
| Demographic data for Washington | ||
|---|---|---|
| Washington | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 7,160,290 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 66,456 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 77.8% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 3.6% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 7.7% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 1.3% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0.6% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 5.2% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 12% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 90.4% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 32.9% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $61,062 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 14.4% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Washington. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
- See also: Presidential voting trends in Washington
Washington voted for the Democratic candidate in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
Pivot Counties (2016)
Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, five are located in Washington, accounting for 2.43 percent of the total pivot counties.[4]
Pivot Counties (2020)
In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Washington had four Retained Pivot Counties and one Boomerang Pivot County, accounting for 2.21 and 4.00 percent of all Retained and Boomerang Pivot Counties, respectively.
More Washington coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in Washington
- United States congressional delegations from Washington
- Public policy in Washington
- Endorsers in Washington
- Washington fact checks
- More...
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ National Center for State Courts, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Washington," accessed April 16, 2025
- ↑ Washington State Legislature, "Washington State Constitution," accessed April 16, 2025 (Scroll to Article IV, Section 3)
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs nameddefine - ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
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
