Washington Courts: Press Release Detail

Washington Supreme Court Chief Justice Mary E. Fairhurst to Deliver State of the Judiciary Address January 16th

Chief Justice Mary E. Fairhurst will deliver the 2019 State of the Judiciary address before a joint session of the Washington State Legislature on Wednesday, January 16th at 11 a.m. in the Washington State Senate Chambers.

The address will be televised live by TVW, Washington’s Public Affairs Network, and will also be available online at www.tvw.org. A written report will be released to the media and public following the address.

Chief Justice Fairhurst will report to state lawmakers and residents regarding the state of Washington’s courts and judicial branch. She will detail the current challenges courts face in providing fair, efficient and effective justice to Washington residents, and steps being taken by the judicial branch to meet those challenges.

Justice Fairhurst was first elected to the Court in 2002 following 16 years working with the state Attorney General’s Office. During that time she served as president of the Washington State Bar Association, the second woman and first public sector attorney to hold that position. She was elected to be the state’s 56th Chief Justice by her Supreme Court peers in 2016, with her four-year term beginning in 2017. As Chief Justice she is the court's chief spokesperson, presides over Supreme Court hearings and conferences, and co-chairs the state Board for Judicial Administration.

For further information on Washington Supreme Court justices or operations of the Court, please visit http://www.courts.wa.gov/appellate_trial_courts/SupremeCourt/?fa=supremecourt.welcome.