Whatcom County judge to interview for the vacant seat on the state Supreme Court

Whatcom County Superior Court Judge Raquel Montoya-Lewis is among a dozen applicants to replace Justice Mary Fairhurst on the Washington State Supreme Court, according to a spokesperson the Office of Governor.

Montoya-Lewis was sworn in Jan. 16, 2015, as the first Native American judge on the Whatcom County Superior Court. She was appointed by Gov. Jay Inslee after the state Legislature approved a fourth Superior Court judge for the county in 2013.

Before that, Montoya-Lewis served as an associate professor at Western Washington University’s Fairhaven College and had served as a judge for 16 years, including as chief judge for the Lummi Nation from 2008-11. Montoya-Lewis graduated from law school at the University of Washington in Seattle in 1995.