State Supreme Court Justice, position 1
Election Results
| Candidate | Votes | Pct |
|---|---|---|
| Mary Yu | 1,408,725 | 57.47% |
| David DeWolf | 1,042,686 | 42.53% |
* Race percentages are calculated with data from the Secretary of State's Office, which omits write-in votes from its calculations when there are too few to affect the outcome. The Spokane County Auditor's Office may have slightly different percentages than are reflected here because its figures include any write-in votes.
About the Race
Gonzaga Law Professor David DeWolf is part of a slate of candidates challenging incumbent Supreme Court justices. They argue that the current court is legislating from the bench and overstepped its bounds when it ordered the state Legislature to spend significantly more on K-12 education.
DeWolf has called for “much-needed restraint to a court that has become adversarial.”
But incumbent Mary Yu said the state constitution makes a strong statement in calling education funding the state’s “paramount duty.” Yu stresses the court has been patient with lawmakers, allowing them extra time to increase funding.
Yu contends that her experience as a trial court judge helps her understand ordinary people. She points to several awards, including Judge of the Year from the Washington State Bar Association.
The Candidates
Mary Yu
- Age:
- 67
- City:
- Seattle, WA
- Occupation:
- Supreme Court justice
Education: Earned bachelor's at Dominican University, master's in theology at Mundelein of Loyola University and law degree from University of Notre Dame.
Experience: Incumbent Supreme Court justice. Spent 14 years as trial judge. Worked for seven years in the King County Prosecutor's Office.
Family: Single.
David DeWolf
- Age:
- 75
- City:
- Spokane, WA
- Occupation:
- Retired law professor
Education: Earned bachelor’s at Stanford University, teaching credential from the University of California at Santa Barbara and law degree from Yale Law School.
Experience: Professor at Gonzaga Law School for 28 years. Former attorney at Lukins & Annis. Clerked for the Idaho Supreme Court.
Family: Married, three children
Complete Coverage
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