Washington Supreme Court Decisions
The Washington State Supreme Court meets in the Temple of Justice in Olympia. The Court takes its authority from Article IV of the Washington Constitution of 1889. Section 4 of this Article defines the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court, which covers original jurisdiction over writs such as habeas corpus and mandamus, as well as the authority to issue any other writs that are necessary to exercise its appellate jurisdiction. The Court holds the authority to review any criminal or civil cases, except for most civil cases in which the amount in controversy does not exceed $200. It also regulates the legal profession in Washington, and it has issued a Code of Judicial Conduct to guide the actions of state judges.
To serve on the Supreme Court, a candidate must be licensed to practice law in Washington State, as required by Section 17 of Article IV. Under Section 15 of Article IV, a justice may not hold any other form of public employment while they are serving on the Court. Under Section 19, they also may not practice law in any state court in Washington. The state constitution sets a mandatory retirement age of 75, and it allows the legislature to reduce the retirement age to 70 at its discretion.
Nine justices serve on the Washington Supreme Court. Under the Washington Constitution, the legislature retains the power to change the size of the Court. Each term lasts six years. Justices generally are elected through non-partisan elections, which means that their party affiliation does not appear on the ballot. If a vacancy arises before the end of a term, however, the Governor of Washington has the authority to appoint an interim justice. The Chief Justice is elected by the other justices and serves a term of four years. They supervise the administration of the trial and appellate courts in Washington, and they serve as the chair of the Board for Judicial Administration, which allows them to shape the policies of the judiciary.
- 2024 (22)
- 2023 (61)
- 2022 (70)
- 2021 (73)
- 2020 (69)
- 2019 (90)
- 2018 (104)
- 2017 (94)
- 2016 (101)
- 2015 (113)
- 2014 (128)
- 2013 (144)
- 2012 (214)
- 2011 (217)
- 2010 (262)
- 2009 (42)
- 2008 (455)
- 2007 (156)
- 2006 (297)
- 2005 (266)
- 2004 (154)
- 2003 (86)
- 2002 (75)
- 2001 (70)
- 2000 (88)
- 1999 (112)
- 1998 (131)
- 1997 (125)
- 1996 (118)
- 1995 (121)
- 1994 (140)
- 1993 (121)
- 1992 (124)
- 1991 (106)
- 1990 (114)
- 1989 (126)
- 1988 (144)
- 1987 (108)
- 1986 (177)
- 1985 (126)
- 1984 (175)
- 1983 (173)
- 1982 (146)
- 1981 (108)
- 1980 (206)
- 1979 (137)
- 1978 (168)
- 1977 (125)
- 1976 (125)
- 1975 (150)
- 1974 (133)
- 1973 (116)
- 1972 (133)
- 1971 (110)
- 1970 (110)
- 1969 (243)
- 1968 (253)
- 1967 (319)
- 1966 (291)
- 1965 (246)
- 1964 (248)
- 1963 (252)
- 1962 (196)
- 1961 (203)
- 1960 (248)
- 1959 (208)
- 1958 (206)
- 1957 (225)
- 1956 (184)
- 1955 (246)
- 1954 (204)
- 1953 (229)
- 1952 (211)
- 1951 (200)
- 1950 (207)
- 1932 (1)
Recent Decisions From the Washington Supreme Court
Date: April 18, 2024
Docket Number: 100,953-4
Justia Opinion Summary: The case involves Andrew Bertrand, who was convicted of two counts of first-degree child molestation. Bertrand argued that his counsel was ineffective for failing to propose lesser included offense instructions on…
Date: April 18, 2024
Docket Number: 101,520-8
Justia Opinion Summary: The case involves an action filed by Spokane County Prosecuting Attorney Lawrence Haskell against Jilma Meneses, the secretary of the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS). The Prosecutor…
Date: April 11, 2024
Docket Number: 101,745-6
Justia Opinion Summary: The case revolves around the death of a patient, Cindy Essex, who visited Samaritan Hospital's emergency room due to severe shoulder pain. The doctors, who were not employees of the hospital but independent contractors,…
Date: April 11, 2024
Docket Number: 101,769-3
Justia Opinion Summary: The case revolves around Terry Cousins' efforts to obtain public records related to her sister, who died while in the custody of the Department of Corrections (DOC). Cousins alleged that the DOC's response to her public…
Date: April 11, 2024
Docket Number: 101,838-0
Justia Opinion Summary: The case revolves around the Benton County Water Conservancy Board (the Board) and the Washington State Department of Ecology (the Department). The Department primarily manages the state's water resources, while the…
Date: April 11, 2024
Docket Number: 101,872-0
Justia Opinion Summary: The case involves AURC III LLC, an Oregon limited liability company, and several Washington and Delaware limited liability companies collectively referred to as Point Ruston. Point Ruston purchased a 97-acre former…
Date: April 4, 2024
Docket Number: 101,171-7
Justia Opinion Summary: In May 2020, Austin River Keller drove his car into a ditch and subsequently failed a breath alcohol test. The Kitsap County District Court suppressed the breath alcohol test results produced from the Dräger Alcotest…
Date: March 28, 2024
Docket Number: 101,502-0
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court of the State of Washington considered whether the State's 12-year delay in bringing charges against John Ray Stearns, despite having matched his DNA to a murder victim in 2004, violated his due process…
Date: March 14, 2024
Docket Number: 101,703-1
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2016 and 2021, Steven Buck was convicted of felony failure to register as a sex offender and sentenced to prison terms followed by mandatory 36 months of community custody. The trial court ran Buck’s 2021 community…
Date: March 14, 2024
Docket Number: 101,892-4
Justia Opinion Summary: A dispute arose between the Gardens Condominium (a Washington nonprofit corporation) and Farmers Insurance Exchange (a California company) over the interpretation of a resulting loss exception in an all-risk insurance…
Date: March 14, 2024
Docket Number: 101,997-1
Justia Opinion Summary: In this case from the Supreme Court of the State of Washington, several construction industry associations challenged a 2018 law (RCW 39.12.015(3)) that changed the method for determining prevailing wage rates on public…
Date: March 7, 2024
Docket Number: 101,799-5
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court of the State of Washington was required to make a decision on a case involving a high school student, M.G., who was expelled on an emergency basis by Yakima School District No. 7 (the District). The…
Date: March 7, 2024
Docket Number: 101,873-8
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court of the State of Washington heard a case involving Assurance Wireless USA LP, a telecommunications company that provides wireless services to low-income consumers as part of the federal "Lifeline"…
Date: February 29, 2024
Docket Number: 101,635-2
Justia Opinion Summary: The petitioner, Ricky Arntsen, was convicted of several crimes including second degree assault with a deadly weapon following a road rage incident where he forced another driver, Kim Koenig, to stop her car and then…
Date: February 15, 2024
Docket Number: 101,576-3
Justia Opinion Summary: The case involves a dispute between Dr. Stan Schiff and Liberty Mutual Insurance Companies. Dr. Schiff, on behalf of himself and a class of similarly situated providers, claimed that Liberty Mutual's practice of reducing…
Some case metadata and case summaries were written with the help of AI, which can produce inaccuracies. You should read the full case before relying on it for legal research purposes.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
