Supreme Court Justice Pos 1

Legal/Judicial Experience

Supreme Court Justice. Colleen Melody works every day to uphold the rule of law, improve access to justice, and protect the rights of Washingtonians.

Other Professional Experience

Colleen was a career civil rights lawyer and public servant. She taught at the University of Washington and brought pro bono cases on behalf of immigrants and veterans. She worked at a pizza shop in high school and waited tables through college.

Education

UW for college and law school, both with high honors.

Community Service

Colleen worked to improve access to services in her rural community, including better resources for seniors, increased healthcare services, and more affordable childcare.

Statement

Colleen grew up in Spokane, the daughter of a teacher and a healthcare advocate. As a civil rights lawyer, she protected Washingtonians whose rights were violated by multinational corporations, special interests, and the federal government. Colleen returned millions in wages owed to workers and protected employees from pregnancy discrimination and sexual harassment. As the leader of the Attorney General’s Civil Rights Division, she beat the Trump Administration when it tried to impose its unconstitutional Muslim Ban and separate families at the border.

Now more than ever, state courts must safeguard our rights with independence and impartiality. Washington’s laws provide broad protections in privacy, the workplace, housing, healthcare, and education. State courts must be places where victims of crime and discrimination may seek justice with safety and dignity.

Colleen is a working mom who lives in rural Western Washington with her husband and two public-school daughters. She is endorsed by every sitting Supreme Court Justice; retired Justices Yu and Madsen; Governors Ferguson, Inslee, and Gregoire; Attorney General Brown; hundreds of judges and elected leaders statewide, and the Washington State Labor Council. 

Your rights matter. Justice Colleen Melody has worked her entire career to protect them.

Legal/Judicial Experience

Ballard Spahr/Lane Powell (2010-present) (Practice Chair 2010-2024) (Board 2017-2019, 2023-24); Perkins Coie (1999-2010); Bogle & Gates (1996-1999).  Significant experience before Washington courts on constitutional and other complex issues; Ranked as among the top in my field: Super Lawyers, Best Lawyers in America, and Chambers.

Other Professional Experience

Adjunct Professor, University of Washington School of Law (2002-present); Washington State Bar Association; American Bar Association; Council on State Taxation.

Education

University of Washington School of Law (with Honors) 1991; Princeton University (magna cum laude) 1988, Economics - Paul Volcker Award recipient.

Community Service

American Red Cross; St. Cecilia Parish; Scouting America; Bainbridge Island Youth Orchestra; Kids in Concert.

Statement

I am running to bring independence, principled judgment, and respect for the rule of law to the Washington Supreme Court.  An independent court protects constitutional rights, ensures equal justice, and serves as a final and balanced check within our system of government.  The role of the Supreme Court is to apply the constitution and laws as written, not rewrite them.  

For more than 30 years I have represented clients at all levels of Washington’s court system, including more than a dozen Washington Supreme Court cases. As a tax and constitutional attorney, I work on complex issues that directly affect Washington families and businesses.  I have also taught at the University of Washington School of Law for over 20 years. 

I learned the value of hard work, integrity, and public service early, working at my grandparents’ restaurant and watching my father serve as Alaska’s attorney general.  Washington deserves justices who will apply the law predictably, as written, and without favoring any political agenda. My commitment is to protect your constitutional rights and work to make the Washington Supreme Court accountable and worthy of your trust.

Take politics out of the courtroom.  Vote Scott Edwards, Position 1.