Washington Supreme Court

Members of the court are elected to six-year terms, with three justices elected in each even-numbered year in a nonpartisan election with a top-two primary. Judicial elections in Washington, including for the Supreme Court, are frequently uncontested and incumbents typically win reelection. The last time a justice lost reelection was in 2010 when Charles K. Wiggins defeated Richard B. Sanders, who had previously defeated Rosselle Pekelis in 1995. When chief justice Keith M. Callow lost to Charles W. Johnson in 1990, it was the first time in 40 years an incumbent had lost. The only required qualification for justices is that they are admitted to practice law in Washington. In case of a vacancy, the Governor of Washington may appoint a replacement who must stand in the next election to fill the unexpired term. Five of the current nine judges were originally appointed. == Current justices ==

The early history of the Washington Supreme Court has been described as follows: Candidates for election were originally nominated at party conventions, but in 1907 it became a direct nonpartisan election. Carolyn R. Dimmick was the first woman to sit on the court, taking her seat in 1981. Barbara Durham was the first female chief justice, selected in 1995. Charles Z. Smith, appointed 1988, was the first African American to serve on the court. Mary Yu became the first LGBT, Asian American, and Latina member in 2014. A majority of justices have been female since 2013. After the appointment of Helen Whitener in 2020, the court was called "arguably the most diverse court, state or federal, in American history", with various incumbents reflecting the state's white, black, Hispanic, Asian American, Native American, LGBT, immigrant, Jewish, and disabled populations. ==Notable cases==

• Harland v. Washington (1887) – The territorial supreme court declared women's suffrage unconstitutional in a 2-1 decision. • State v. Gunwall (1986) -- The court established a test for when it would turn to the State constitution, rather than the federal one, to resolve a constitutional question. • McCleary v. Washington (2012) – The state of Washington failed to meet its Constitutional duty to adequately fund education. • State v. Gregory (2018) – Unanimously decided the death penalty in Washington violated the state constitution, as applied. • State v. Blake (2021) – Declared in a 5–4 ruling that the statute criminalizing simple possession of controlled substances was unconstitutional. • Quinn v. Washington Department of Revenue (2021) — The state's tax on capital gains is constitutional. • State v. White – Upheld the death penalty in the conviction of Don Anthony White for homicide. ==Gallery==

File:WACapitolTempleOfJustice.jpg|The court meets in the Temple of Justice in Olympia File:WashSupremeCtInterior.jpg|The interior of the Washington State Supreme Court File:WashingtonCapitolTOJLL.jpg|Inside the Law Library File:WashingtonCapitolTOJI.jpg|The foyer of the Temple of Justice building ==References==