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Sarah Pendleton sworn in as clerk of the Washington State Supreme Court
Summary
At a special session of the Washington State Supreme Court, Sarah Pendleton was sworn in as clerk. Justices praised her management experience and leadership on language access; Pendleton pledged to expand access to the appellate courts.
Sarah Pendleton was sworn in as clerk of the Washington State Supreme Court during a special session of the court. The chief justice administered the oath and introduced Pendleton "for the first time as the honorable Sarah Pendleton."
Justice Yu, who opened the program, said Pendleton is the twelfth clerk since 1889 and said she will be "the first person of color to serve in this role," praising her prior work as deputy clerk and her leadership on the court's first appellate language access plan. He noted she received the Board for Judicial Administration Innovating Justice Award and called her management skills and commitment to access to justice "glue" that keeps the court together.
Justice Montoya Lewis, who participated in Pendleton’s hiring process, told the audience that Erin Lennon — Pendleton’s predecessor — said hiring Pendleton had been "the best of those decisions," and described Pendleton as someone with "extraordinary capacity and professionalism." Montoya Lewis also referenced Aaron Lennon as the clerk Pendleton is replacing.
During the oath, Pendleton pledged to support the Constitution of the United States and the constitution and laws of the state of Washington, to adhere to the code of judicial conduct, and to "perform the duties of the clerk of the Supreme Court faithfully and impartially." After the oath she thanked the justices, colleagues and family for their support and said she is "incredibly grateful" to work with the court.
Pendleton committed to "build on the foundation laid by my predecessors and to continue expanding access to the appellate courts," citing access and language services as priorities. She invoked the words of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor that "the courts are the great equalizers," and said the court must be available not only to those who can afford it or have specialized training.
The chief justice congratulated Pendleton on behalf of the bench, announced a reception in the chief justice’s reception room, and adjourned the special session. The transcript does not specify the date of the ceremony.
