Washington Courts: Press Release Detail

Supreme Court Inauguration to Mark History

Newly-elected Justice Mary E. Fairhurst will be sworn into office on Monday, January 13, marking the first time in Washington State history that the Supreme Court has been comprised of a female majority. The inaugural ceremony will begin at 9:30 a.m. in the Temple of Justice in Olympia.

The ceremony will also mark the departure of Associate Chief Justice Charles Z. Smith, who is now retired. Justice Charles W. Johnson will be sworn into another term on the Court as the new Associate Chief Justice, a position held by the senior member of the Court. Justice Bobbe J. Bridge will be sworn into a six-year term, after being unopposed in the last election.

Fairhurst will be presented to the Court by her father, Stanley J. Fairhurst. A former President of the Washington State Bar Association, she began her legal career in the Supreme Court as a judicial clerk, working first with Chief Justice William H. Williams in 1984 and then with Justice William C. Goodloe until 1986. Fairhurst has served at the Washington State Attorney General’s Office for 16 years, where she most recently served as the Division Chief of the Revenue, Bankruptcy and Collections Division.

She was elected to the position in November to fill a vacancy created by the retirement of Justice Charles Z. Smith.

Biography information on each justice can be obtained on the Washington Court Homepage at http://www.courts.wa.gov/courts/supreme/bios/.

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