Washington Courts: Press Release Detail

State of Washington’s Judiciary: How Courts Responded to 2020, and Prepare for What’s Next

The essential mission of Washington courts to deliver open, fair and equal justice did not change in 2020, but how that work was accomplished often changed significantly in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, with many court impacts that carry into 2021. A national reckoning on the question of racial injustice also challenged the judicial branch to take an honest look inward and to act.

The emergency actions, adaptations, successes, responses, looming challenges, plans and projects of the judicial branch in 2020 and continuing into 2021 are summarized in the 2021 State of the Judiciary report released today. The State of the Judiciary report is presented each year by the Chief Justice of the Washington Supreme Court to state lawmakers, elected officials and to the people of Washington to keep them informed of the status of their judicial branch.

“Washington courts have worked hard this past year in collaboration with justice partners and health officials to keep justice services available to the people of Washington,” said outgoing Chief Justice Debra L. Stephens, who served as chief justice throughout 2020. “They used innovation and communication to ensure emergency adaptations were undertaken with a focus on equity, access and transparency. I’m very proud of their deep commitment to these values.”

“The experiences of 2020 have shown us that Washington courts are resilient and determined, but have also taught us that significant equity and access to justice challenges remain,” said new Chief Justice Steven C. González, who was sworn into the position on January 11, 2021. “These are important considerations as we look at potential new processes. We will examine lessons learned about barriers and the possibilities of new methods as we work on recovery and moving forward.” 

The State of the Judiciary report includes details on such actions as:

• The swearing in of new Supreme Court Justice G. Helen Whitener, with short profile;
• Emergency actions of the branch and courts, such as significant expansion in remote court proceedings, in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency;
• An Open Letter from the state Supreme Court to members of the state judicial branch, asking members to commit to eradicating racial injustice and the devaluing of Black lives;
• A report by the Resumption of Jury Trials Work Group on public health guidelines for safely resuming jury trials during the pandemic, with advice and information for courts; 
• Establishment of the Court Recovery Task Force to examine impacts of 2020 events on courts and make concrete plans for recovery;
• Establishment of the Racial Justice Consortium in response to events of 2020 and the Supreme Court’s open letter;
• Establishment of a new Eviction Resolution Program for superior courts in response to an expected wave of eviction filings;
• A new statewide, multi-year project to modernize case management in district and municipal courts, which will include electronic filing in courts across the state;
• An increase in funding and new court rules to help courts pay for interpreters and authorize expanded use of remote technology in interpreting and mandate team interpreting when needed;
• Two comprehensive reports to state lawmakers on steps for overhauling state response to domestic violence, by two work groups of the Gender and Justice Commission

The 2021 State of the Judiciary report can be found on our website.