Hear the Washington Supreme Court candidates

We start with the race for position one.

The incumbent is Colleen Melody.

My name is Colleen Melody, and I am one of the justices serving you on the Washington State Supreme Court.

I am running to retain my seat so that I may continue working to uphold the rule of law, improve access to justice, and protect the rights of everyone in Washington.

I grew up in Spokane.

My father was a teacher and my mom was a nurse and patient advocate.

They taught me to work hard, to give back, and to help others.

And now I live in rural Western Washington with my husband who is a carpenter and my two daughters who are in elementary school.

I became a lawyer after an excellent public education, including undergraduate and law degrees at the University of Washington.

And then I became a civil rights lawyer where I spent my entire career working in the public interest.

I've never worked for a client who paid me.

I've never sent a bill to a person whose civil rights I worked to protect.

I've only ever worked as a government lawyer with the goal of protecting the civil and constitutional rights of my neighbors.

And for many years, I was the head of the Civil Rights Division in the Attorney General's Office here in Washington State.

There, I stood up for everyday people across our state, protecting the rights of Washingtonians when they were violated by multinational corporations, special interests, and the federal government.

I returned millions in wages to workers and protected employees from pregnancy discrimination and sexual harassment.

I held the federal government accountable to the rule of law, fighting the Trump administration's unconstitutional Muslim ban and family separation policy, and blocking the administration from canceling the DACA program that protects thousands of DREAMers in Washington for whom our state is home.

Now more than ever, state courts must safeguard our rights with independence and impartiality.

Washington's laws provide broad protections in areas like privacy, in the workplace, housing, healthcare, and education.

State courts must be places where victims of crime and discrimination may seek justice with safety and dignity.

I'm proud to be endorsed by every sitting Supreme Court Justice, retired Justices Mary Yu and Barbara Madsen, Governors Bob Ferguson, Jay Inslee, and Chris Gregoire, Attorney General Nick Brown, hundreds of judges and elected leaders statewide, labor unions, and many more.

Your rights matter.

I have worked my entire career to protect them.

I would be honored to have your vote.

That's Washington Supreme Court Justice Colleen Melody.