Gonzaga Alumna Mary Fairhurst Elected Chief Justice of State Supreme Court

OLYMPIA, Wash. – Justice Mary Fairhurst, who earned her undergraduate and law degrees from Gonzaga University, was elected the 56th chief justice of the Washington Supreme Court on Nov. 3 by a vote of her peers. Her four-year term starts Jan. 9, 2017. She will succeed Chief Justice Barbara Madsen, also a Gonzaga Law School alumna, and one of the longest-serving chief justices in state history.

“I am honored and humbled to be elected by my colleagues for this role, and I am especially grateful for Chief Justice Madsen’s support. She has been a tremendous leader, and I will rely on her guidance as I assume this awesome responsibility,” Fairhurst said in a news release. “I have always had a passion for educating the public about the judicial branch, and I look forward to working with the other branches of government and those in the judicial branch to serve the residents of the state of Washington.” Read more.