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King County Council honors retired Washington Supreme Court Justice Mary Yu
Summary
The Metropolitan King County Council recognized retired Washington State Supreme Court Justice Mary Yu for 32 years of public service, including 25 years on the bench, and read a proclamation highlighting her legal and mentoring work.
The Metropolitan King County Council on Feb. 10 recognized retired Washington State Supreme Court Justice Mary Yu for a 32-year career in public service and for her work mentoring lawyers of color.
Vice Chair Jorge Baron and Council Member Dombowski opened the chamber’s tribute, recounting Yu’s local career path from the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office to the Superior Court and, in 2014, to the Washington State Supreme Court. The council read a proclamation that noted Yu’s retirement from the court on Dec. 31, 2025, and credited her with advancing civil and human rights and with pioneering representation as an openly LGBTQ+ and Asian American and Latina justice.
“Justice Yu recently stepped down from her position in the Washington State Supreme Court where she was pivotal in decisions that protected fundamental rights,” Baron said during the tribute, praising her courtroom leadership and mentorship. Council Member Dombowski recalled Yu’s tenure as a trial judge and described how her courtroom management and fairness left a lasting impression on younger lawyers.
Mary Yu accepted the recognition and thanked colleagues, staff and family. “King County is great,” she said, reflecting on her return to the county and praising trial lawyers, prosecutors and defenders who helped bring due process to life in courtrooms. In her remarks she named Rhonda Salveson and members of the county legal community for their support.
The council invited Yu and members of the chamber for a photo after the proclamation, then moved on to the meeting’s business.
