Nomination and Selection Guidelines

The Innovating Justice Award recognizes an individual or group for providing exceptional leadership in helping courts across Washington State deliver innovative and responsive justice using a race equity lens. The 2025 award will be presented inperson during the November 14, 2025 BJA Meeting.

Criteria for nomination

Nominations can be individuals or groups who made significant contributions to the court community in the following areas:

• Promoted race equity and access to justice;
• Provided exceptional leadership and went above and beyond what is expected;
• Applied innovative and community-driven court system responses;
• Responded in a way that significantly impacted and resolved critical court system needs.

The selection committee will accept nominations until the EOD on September 26, 2025.

Please email the completed nomination form and any supporting materials to Caroline.Tawes@courts.wa.gov and Melissa.Hernandez@courts.wa.gov.

Nomination Form:

Innovating Justice Award Nomination Form

Recipients of the Innovating Justice Awards

• Innovating Justice Award Recipients