Washington Courts: Press Release Detail

Washington State Gender and Justice Commission: New members will lead the effort for gender fairness in courts

Olympia, WA – The Washington State Supreme Court has appointed seven new members to the Court’s Gender and Justice Commission, whose mission is to locate and assess gender bias in the courts, and take steps to eliminate it.

The new members include Kelley Amburgey-Richardson, Rita L. Bender, Emily Cordo, Gail Hammer, Dr. Dana Raigrodski, Sonia M. Rodriguez True, and Victoria Vreeland.

Kelley Amburgey-Richardson is with the Washington State Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs where she assists community-based sexual assault advocates with serving incarcerated and detained survivors of sexual violence. She received her juris doctor from Lewis & Clark Law School.

Rita Bender is a partner at Skellenger Bender, P.S. in Seattle, where she has practiced since 1990. She received her juris doctor from Rutgers University School of Law.  She has been a guest lecturer at colleges and universities throughout the country on issues of racial disparity, exploring the relationships of race, income, gender, and educational inequities.

Emily Cordo serves as the Legal Director for the Sexual Violence Legal Services Program, for the YWCA of Seattle, King, and Snohomish. She received her juris doctor from the University of Washington School of Law. She is responsible for the oversight of several grants that provide legal services to victims of sexual violence and legal services for child-victims of domestic violence and their families.

Gail Hammer is an Assistant Professor at Gonzaga University School of Law, and also serves as the Interim Clinic Director and Thomas More Co-Director at the Gonzaga University School of Law. Ms. Hammer supervises law students in the General Practice/Indian Law Clinic. She has authored numerous articles and presented across the country and internationally on legal education, poverty and the law, domestic violence, family law, race, and gender. She received her juris doctor from the University of Montana School of Law. 

Dr. Dana Raigrodski is a lecturer at the University of Washington School of Law, sits on UW Women’s Center Anti-Trafficking Task Force and the Immigrant Families Advocacy Project (pro bono legal services), among other boards. She received her Doctor of Juridical Science form Tulane Law School 2002 and received a Master of Laws degree from Tel Aviv University.  Dr. Raigrodski has also authored numerous articles and studies on trafficking and feminist legal theory. 

Sonia Rodriguez True, True Law Group, P.S., practices law in Yakima while also representing parents and children through the Office of Public Defense.  Ms. Rodriguez True sits on the Board of Trustees for Memorial Hospital and Boards of Directors for Community Health of Central Washington, United Way of Central Washington, Yakima YMCA and Yakima Police Athletic. She was awarded the 2014 Volunteer of the Year Award by the Yakima County Bar Association.  She received her juris doctor from the University of Washington School of Law. 

Victoria L. Vreeland is the principal attorney at Vreeland Law PLLC. She has an extensive background in assisting victims of sexual and domestic violence to navigate the criminal legal system. As the current president of the Washington State Association for Justice (WSAJ), she is dedicated to providing education for lawyers and establishing an Interpersonal Violence Litigation Group within WSAJ. She received her juris doctor from Gonzaga University School of Law. 

The Gender and Justice Commission, through its diverse and multi-disciplinary membership, exercises a strong statewide leadership role promoting gender equality in the legal and judicial community. The Commission strives to eliminate gender bias in our justice system by developing various strategies for change, through educational forums and effective communication and collaboration with organizations having a shared vision.

CONTACT:  Pam Dittman, Gender and Justice Commission Program Coordinator, 360.704.4031, pam.dittman@courts.wa.gov.