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Steven González | |
|---|---|
| Chief Justice of theWashington Supreme Court | |
| In office January 11, 2021 – January 13, 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Debra L. Stephens |
| Succeeded by | Debra L. Stephens |
| Associate Justice of theWashington Supreme Court | |
| Assumed office January 1, 2012 | |
| Appointed by | Christine Gregoire |
| Preceded by | Gerry L. Alexander |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1963-10-01)October 1, 1963 (age 62) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Relatives | Ben Harper (cousin) |
| Education | Pitzer College (BA) University of California, Berkeley (JD) |
Steven Charles González (born October 1, 1963)[1] is an American lawyer who served as the chief justice of theWashington Supreme Court from 2021 to 2025. He was appointed as an associate justice by GovernorChristine Gregoire and took office on January 1, 2012. González replaced JusticeGerry L. Alexander, who retired upon reaching themandatory retirement age of 75.
Born and raised inLos Angeles, González is descended on his father's side from refugees from theMexican Revolution; his maternal ancestors immigrated at the turn of the 20th century from eastern Europe. González was raised by his mother, who isJewish.[2]
González graduated with honors fromPitzer College in Claremont, California, with a Bachelor of Arts in East Asian studies in 1985. While at Pitzer, he studied abroad atWaseda University in Tokyo andNanjing University in China.[3] He worked as aparalegal inCentury City after graduation from college. Before law school, González received a Rotary International scholarship to study international trade in Japan for 21 months. After studying economics atHokkaido University,[4] he enrolled at theUniversity of California, Berkeley, School of Law, where he earned hisJuris Doctor and met his wife, Michelle Gonzalez. After graduating in 1991, Gonzalez passed the Washington State bar exam and was admitted to practice in November 1991.
After a career in private practice, González served as an Assistant City Attorney for the City of Seattle, where he prosecuteddomestic violence cases, including cases ofelder andchild abuse. He then served as anassistant United States attorney in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington from 1997 to 2002. In March 2002 GovernorGary Locke appointed him a judge of theKing County Superior Court. He won a contested primary that September, and was reelected unopposed to four-year terms in 2004 and 2008.[5]
González's cousin is musicianBen Harper.[6]
González has worked in both criminal and civil law. While in private practice, he worked as an associate in the Business Law Department of Hillis Clark Martin & Peterson inSeattle.[7] He then served as a Domestic Violence Prosecutor for the City of Seattle in 1996 and 1997 and as anAssistant United States Attorney in the Western District of Washington from 1997 to 2002,[8] during which time he was part of the team that successfully prosecuted the international terrorism caseUS vs Ressam.[9] He received the U.S. Attorney General's Award for Distinguished Service and the Director's Award for Superior Performance for his work on the case.[7] González has served on the board of directors of El Centro de la Raza and the steering committee of the Northwest Minority Job Fair.[10]
In 2012, GovernorChristine Gregoire appointed González to the Washington Supreme Court.[11] He replaced JusticeGerry L. Alexander, who retired upon reaching themandatory retirement age of 75.[12][13] Before joining the Supreme Court, González served on the Washington State Access to Justice Board for seven years, including two as Chair. He chairs the Washington Interpreter Commission and the Court's Security and Technology Committees.[14] On November 6, 2020, González was elected to be Chief Justice by his peer, effective January 11, 2021.[15]
González has received “Judge of the Year” awards from the Washington State Bar Association, the Washington Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates and the Asian Bar Association of Washington. He also received the Vanguard Award from the King County Chapter of Washington Women Lawyers and the Exceptional Member Award from the Latina/o Bar Association of Washington.[16] Beginning in 2017, he taught state constitutional law atGonzaga University School of Law.[17]
In October 2018, González concurred in the result when the court abolished thestate's death penalty because they found its racist imposition violated theConstitution of Washington.[18][19]
After being appointed to the King County Superior Court, González was elected to the bench in 2002 and reelected in 2004 and 2008.[20] In 2012, he was elected to a full six-year term on the Washington State Supreme Court, Position 8, with nearly 60% of the vote. At that time, judicial elections occurred in the primary.[21] The election was the subject of significant news coverage due to González's opponent's lack of qualifications and Central Washington's racially polarized voting patterns.[22][23][24][25] During the election, he was rated “Exceptionally Well Qualified” by the King County Bar Association and other bar associations.[26]
González was reelected to the Washington State Supreme Court in 2018.[27] On November 5, 2020, he was elected by his peers to serve as chief justice. He took office as chief justice on January 11, 2021.[28]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)| Legal offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Associate Justice of theWashington Supreme Court 2012–present | Incumbent |
| Preceded by | Chief Justice of theWashington Supreme Court 2021–present | |