Justice G. Helen Whitener

Justice G. Helen Whitener (she/her) was initially appointed in April 2020 and subsequently elected twice by the voters to the Washington State Supreme Court. Prior to her appointment to Washington State's highest court, Justice Whitener served as a Pierce County Superior Court judge. Justice Whitener also served as a judge on the Washington State Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals and as a pro-temp judge in Pierce County District Court and the City of Tacoma Municipal Court. Before becoming a judge, Justice Whitener litigated both civil and criminal cases for 14 years, first as a prosecutor and defense attorney and later as a managing partner of the law firm of Whitener Rainey Writt PS.

Justice Whitener is a former faculty member of the National Judicial College and the Washington State Judicial College. Justice Whitener is the co-chair of the Minority and Justice Commission, the co-chair of the Supreme Court's Disability and Justice Task Force and is chair of the state's Annual Judicial Conference Committee. Justice Whitener is a judicial member of the International Association of Women Judges, the American Judges Association, Washington Women Lawyers, and the Advisory Council for the QLaw Association of Washington.

Additionally, Justice Whitener is the former Appellate Court Representative to the Washington Supreme Court Language Access Commission, previously served on the Board of Directors of the IALGBT Judges, is a former co-chair (trial court judge) of the Washington State Minority and Justice Commission 2019-2020, a former court representative on the Washington State Office of Civil Legal Aid Oversight Committee, and is also a former chair and co-chair of the Washington State Superior Court Judges' Association–Equity and Fairness Committee.

Justice Whitener is the first Black woman to serve on the Washington State Supreme Court, the fourth immigrant-born Justice, and the first Black LGBTQIA+ Supreme Court Justice in the nation and the State of Washington. Justice Whitener identifies as a person with a disability, and speaks often to local, national, and international organizations on human rights, and access to justice.

Justice Whitener is well recognized by the legal community for her commitment to justice and equity. Her impactful career has been marked by a series of distinguished awards across several years, reflecting her significant contributions. Her most recent honors, include the 2025, Anshel Ma'asehi Award of Distinction from the Cardozo Society of Washington State. In 2022 she received an Honorary Doctor of Law degree from the University of Puget Sound, and the American Bar Association's Stonewall Award. In 2021 she was recognized as Public Official of the Year by The Evergreen State College's Master of Public Administration Program, and she also received Judge of the Year from The Western Region of the National Black Law Students Association. In 2020, Justice Whitener earned the International Association of LGBTQ+ Judges President's Award, was named a Distinguished 400 Awardee by the 400 Years of African American History Commission and received the Washington Women Lawyers Chief Justice Mary Fairhurst Passing the Torch Award. Earlier accolades arrived in 2019, including the Washington State Bar Association's Charles Z. Smith Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion Award, the King County Washington Women Lawyers President's Award, the Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association Service to Diversity Award, and the Seattle University School of Law and Women's Law Caucus Woman of the Year Award. In 2018, Justice Whitener received the Pierce County Washington Women Lawyers Woman of the Year Award.