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Gov. Bob Ferguson appoints Colleen Melody to Washington State Supreme Court
Summary
Gov. Bob Ferguson announced Colleen Melody as his appointee to the Washington State Supreme Court to fill the vacancy created by Justice Mary Yu’s pending retirement; Melody, a longtime civil rights attorney, said she will follow judicial recusal rules and emphasized access to justice.
Olympia — Gov. Bob Ferguson announced at the Temple of Justice that he has appointed Colleen Melody to the Washington State Supreme Court, naming her to fill the vacancy created by Justice Mary Yu’s announced retirement. "Colleen Melody will be our next Washington State Supreme Court Justice," Ferguson said, calling the selection the result of an "extensive and thorough process."
Ferguson praised Melody’s career in public service and civil rights litigation, saying she grew the state Attorney General’s civil rights division into a team of "35 attorneys, investigators, and professional staff" and led litigation that the governor said included Washington’s 2017 challenge to the first presidential travel ban, a restraining order against the later administration on birthright citizenship, and work protecting Dreamers. "She is a fearless defender of our democracy," Ferguson said.
Chief Justice Deborah Stevens opened the event and noted that the incoming justice will be the 100th to serve on the court. Stevens also reminded the room that the governor’s appointee stands for a retention election when the term expires.
Melody, who told the court she grew up in Spokane and attended the University of Washington for both undergraduate and law school, thanked the justices and her family. "I love its promise of justice for all," she said of the law, and described her decade leading the state civil rights division as work she will miss. Melody acknowledged the Code of Judicial Conduct and said she will recuse herself from any appeals in which she has been "personally and substantially involved."
Ferguson answered questions about qualities he sought in the new justice, saying he prioritized intellectual capacity, empathy for people appearing before the court and the ability to build coalitions on a nine-member bench where five votes are required for an opinion. He also described Melody as a consensus builder with deep legal knowledge.
No formal confirmation vote is recorded in the event transcript; the appointment is a gubernatorial selection that, under state practice, is followed by a retention election at the appropriate time. The court posed for photographs and took a short question-and-answer period before the event closed.
