Washington Courts: Press Release Detail

Washington Supreme Court names Sam Thompson the State’s New Reporter of Decisions

Sam Thompson has been appointed as Reporter of Decisions by the Washington Supreme Court’s nine justices, effective December 1st. Thompson replaces Rick Neidhardt, who held the position since 2013 and passed away suddenly in April.

The office of the Reporter of Decisions prepares Supreme Court and Court of Appeals decisions for publication in the official court reports. The Reporter of Decisions is a constitutional officer of the Supreme Court, as provided in Article IV, Section 18 of the Washington Constitution.

Serving as “editor in chief” of published court decisions, the Reporter of Decisions reviews and edits hundreds of opinions and orders the Supreme Court and Court of Appeals issue every year.

Thompson will serve as only the 11th Reporter in Washington State history.

“My colleagues and I are delighted that Sam has accepted this position,” said Chief Justice Mary E. Fairhurst, regarding the appointment. “Sam has an impressive resume and a passion for publishing, and we’re looking forward to him joining the court family.”

“I am honored that the Court has selected me to serve the people of Washington as Reporter of Decisions,” Thompson said. “This is a dream come true.”

A Washington native, Thompson is a former Reporter of Decisions for the US Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

More recently he served as a staff attorney with Washington Department of Revenue and the Washington Senate. Previously he was a legal editor with LexisNexis in Colorado Springs and the Bradford Publishing Company in Denver.

Thompson has a JD from Seattle University (1984) and a BA in American Studies from Stanford University (1980).

For further information on operations of Washington’s Supreme Court, please visit www.courts.wa.gov.