Commissioner Aurora R. Bearse

Commissioner Aurora R. Bearse was appointed as a court commissioner for Division II of the Court of Appeals, effective May 1, 2012. Prior to her appointment, Commissioner Bearse served as an administrative law judge for the Washington State Office of Administrative Hearings. She has also served as a staff attorney for Division II of the Court of Appeals, as an Assistant Appellate Federal Public Defender in the Fifth Circuit, as an associate attorney at Weil, Gotshal & Manges (New York and Houston offices), and as a judicial law clerk for Judge Robert R. Beezer (9th Circuit) and Judge William H. Walls (DNJ).

Commissioner Bearse graduated with honors from Rutgers-Newark School of Law. She was the senior articles editor of the Rutgers Law Review. She holds a bachelor's degree in Religion & History from Rutgers University. She serves on the executive board of the Seattle Children's Autism Guild, an all-volunteer organization that raises funds for the Autism Center at Seattle Children's Hospital. She is married to attorney Ian Crosby, a partner in the Seattle office of Susman Godfrey. The couple have two young daughters.