2026 primary, WA State Supreme Court
Most people don’t think a whole lot about the State Supreme Court. They know, vaguely, that such an institution exists and that it probably does – something. And most of the time that’s ok.
This year that is not ok, and here’s why. There are 9 seats on the State Supreme Court, just as the federal court. But the state court has some really stringent rules: there are term limits and a mandatory retirement age at 75.
Those 2 factors have combined to put us in an unusual situation. 5 of the 9 seats on the court will be on the ballot this year. As it is, we’ve got a pretty functional court making reasoned decisions. One can disagree with individual decisions, but there is generally reason and logic behind them.
And this year, who sits on the court will have a serious impact on a whole lot of issues. Remember the Millionaire Tax? That one is headed for a ballot initiative this fall, and if that doesn’t work, its off to the State Supreme Court.
There’s a man named Brian Heywood, one of those private equity billionaires who has unfortunately imposed himself on Washington. He’s got an operation called Lets Go Washington. He is rather far right, hating LGBTQ and Trans people, sponsoring initiatives to limit and harm them. We’re expecting 2 of those initiatives to appear on the November ballot, along with an anti-Millionaire Tax initiative. And just to be sure, if all else fails, he has bought himself a roster of candidates for the State Supreme Court.
The reality is that fully 1/3 of voters leave State Supreme Court positions blank because they don’t know any of those names. Another 1/3 of voters toss a dart. That leaves a mere 1/3 of the voting public who actually vote for people they recognize and whose ideas, positions, and histories they support.
That reality is dangerous and I’m out to change it. I have done a whole lot of homework to find out about the various candidates, who they are, what they’ve done, what they stand for. I want to share that information so you and all your friends, relatives, co-workers, and acquaintances will have the information to make reasoned choices for the very important positions of State Supreme Court justices.
What makes these evaluations so hard is that state law prohibits candidates from discussing anything that might come before them as judges. Which is why all we get are generalities. So I look very closely at each candidate’s history and who supports them.
I just realized that this entire entry runs nearly 4000 words. I won’t take it amiss if you skip all the discussion and just look for the names highlighted in red.
So, to the candidates:
Position 1
Colleen Melody hello@melodyforjustice.com
https://melodyforjustice.com/
https://www.courts.wa.gov/appellate_trial_courts/supreme/bios/?fa=scbios.display_file&fileID=melody
As of 6-12-26 she has raised $175,519.81, most of it from attorneys and judges.
Her website header: “upholding the rights of Washingtonians with integrity and fairness.”
She was appointed to the Supreme Court by Governor Ferguson 1-1-26, so is running as an incumbent. For 11 years she was the chief of the Attorney General’s civil rights division. She has led many civil rights cases against federal abuses. She has received many awards for her civil rights work. She worked through college at Casa Latina Day Workers’ Center helping immigrant workers. She interned as a public defender in King County. And evidently she is already doing good things as a Supreme Court justice, working to make access easier for people east of the mountains, among other things. The Solicitor General has issued his “strongest recommendation.” The state Republican Party wants her to recuse herself from the coming millionaire tax issue because of her previous work in the Attorney General’s office. “Melody is endorsed by (Governor) Ferguson, (Attorney General) Brown, every other sitting Supreme Court justice, former Governor Jay Inslee, other state executives, and several lawmakers.” If we went searching for someone to fill this job, Justice Melody would stand right out.
Scott Edwards info@votescottedwards.com
Votescottedwards.com
As of 6-12-26 he has raised $24,500.00.
From his website:
“upholding the rule of law”, “bring independent judgment to every case – focused on the WA constitution, the statutes, and the people we serve.”
Independence – no politics or pressure (except that he has an anti-tax agenda)
Rule of law – clear principled reasoning
Principled – respectful process, equal treatment, due process
Experience – decades of complex litigation experience & disciplined analysis
His focus is tax law, and that’s the red flag
He is a partner at Ballard Spahr, in Seattle
He teaches state and local tax law at UW
He claims to be truly non-partisan and really wants to be a judge.
He wants to “Help protect an independent judiciary” – this of course begs the question: is the current court somehow not independent?
From his law partners: “Scott helps clients minimize the tax costs of doing business.”
He argued against the capital gains tax, and lost.
He challenged Seattle’s income tax, and lost.
He is endorsed by, among others, the WA Women’s Rights for Firearm Ownership
I conclude that this is one of Heywood’s anti-tax candidates. I’m sure he does help clients minimize the tax costs of doing business. Doesn’t sound particularly neutral to me.
Laura Christensen Colberg info@laura4position1.com
As of 6-12-26 she has raised $12,355.70, most of it coming from herself and people with the same last name.
She has spent 30 years in family law and claims that no current judge has that background
She commits to the text of the Constitution, not to any ideology
She’s a Jesus Christian, but not too obvious about it. I do wonder how that colors her ideas about family law and other cases.
She sounds like a decent human being, but a bit narrow in focus.
This does not sound like a serious candidate.
Anne Melani Bremner no obvious contact info, had to go to Wikipedia
She’s a TV commentator and sexual abuse attorney
She describes her younger self as “a liberal, an idealist, and a Democrat,” who opposed capital punishment. Her ideas have moderated since then. She does not tell us in what direction they have moderated.
She worked at Stafford, Frey, Cooper in Seattle
It seems she’s been representing cops vs ACLU, which is not a recommendation in my book
She seems awfully pro-cop and pro-publicity. Not sure she’s got the gravitas for this job.
Given the options, and given the fact that we have an incumbent who, by all accounts is doing a very good job, I will be voting for Colleen Melody.
Position 3
Jaime Michelle Hawk info@judgehawk.com
As of 6-12-26 she had raised $152,020.96, including from several elected officials.
She’s a former public defender and ACLU attorney, currently a King Co superior court judge.
She serves on the State Supreme Court’s minority & justice commission
She’s running in reaction to "federal abuse of the courts", which she does not define
She is endorsed by a whole lot of judges, politicians, and labor unions
She sounds competent and reasonable.
She is endorsed by retired justices Mary Yu and Helen Whitener, and Governor Bob Ferguson. She is supported by labor and Dems, Pramila Jayapal, state treasurer Patty Kuderer, about ½ the legislature, and a whole lot of other people, including many judges. Her focus appears to be on keeping a female majority on the court.
She sounds like a reasonable candidate. She certainly has a lot of good people behind her.
But then she decided to bad-mouth her opponent, Mike Diaz. I don’t like bad-mouthing.
Mike Diaz info@diazforjustice
As of 6-12-26 he has raised $212,512.86, a lot of it from attorneys, some judges, and a lot of family.
He was appointed by then-governor Jay Inslee in 2022 to the State Court of Appeals. He’s a former King Co Superior Court judge and DOJ assistant US attorney. He founded the US attorney’s office civil rights program. He has received many high awards. He teaches civil rights and constitutional law at Seattle U. He sits on many prestigious and useful boards, including chair of the Interpreter Commission. He does lots of Spanish language pro-bono work. He was brought to US from Peru as an infant.
He is endorsed by a whole slew of politicians, judges, and activists, among others.
He was nominated to the federal bench by Obama and stymied by Senator Mitch McConnell. He takes that as a point of honor.
His agenda: “protecting workers’ rights, holding corporations accountable, keeping the public safe.” He has worked to expand access to justice, promote fairness, accountability, and public trust. He sits on the Commission on judicial conduct – to ensure ethical conduct by judges.
He advocates for juvenile justice, defends service members’ rights, workers, and fair pay.
He is endorsed by former governors Jay Inslee, Gary Locke, and Christine Gregoire, Attorney General Nick Brown, retired Supreme Court justice Raquel Montoya-Lewis , current Supreme Court justice Sheryl Gordon-McCloud, former Seattle PD chief Kathy O’Toole, activist Fe Lopez Gaetke, 9 former Supreme Court justices, 26 appeals judges, 100+ superior court and other judges. Seems like pretty much everybody supports judge Diaz.
There’s a really friendly feel to his on line presence which appeals to me.
David Stevens davidforjustice@yahoo.com https://www.judgestevensforwa.com/
As of 6-12-26 he has raised $23,716.65
He has received the maximum donation by the Council of Police Political Support, the WA Council of Police & Sheriffs, along with donations by Mason County Republican Women’s Club and Mason County Republicans. Almost no attorneys, and no judges have donated.
Judge Stevens is a Mason County Superior Court judge who quotes his heroes, Supreme Court justices Scalia and Alito. He says he would emulate justice Clarence Thomas. He tells us he is “proud to be endorsed by Richard Sanders”, the libertarian former state Supreme Court justice who regularly bollixed the court’s works. He is endorsed by WA Women’s Rights for Firearm Ownership, Mason County Republican Women, and WA Republicans. He claims “the current court is made up of activist judges.” His “hot potato” issues: law enforcement leadership standards and the Millionaire tax. He claims the court has a history of never saying no.
Of the 3 candidates, its obvious to see which is the Heywood sponsored one. David Stevens is up front in saying he opposes the millionaire tax. That in itself is disqualifying, since judges are not allowed to express an opinion on issues likely to come before them. Ms Jamie Hawk sounds interesting, and if it were between her and Stevens, I would vote for her. But we have Mike Diaz on the ballot. He is head and shoulders above the other candidates.
This is where it gets a bit ugly. Ms Hawk has accused Mr Diaz of misrepresenting his record. She has gone to some lengths to detail what she claims is his wrongdoing. So I contacted the Diaz campaign. They responded with lightening speed and posted a number of relevant documents. I waded through them, compared them with Ms Hawk’s accusations, and conclude that she is wrong. I very much do not like smear campaigns and I hold this heavily against Ms Hawk.
I will be voting for Mike Diaz.
Position 4
Sean O’Donnell https://www.odonnellforjustice.com/
As of 6-20-26 he has collected $197,169.47 in campaign contributions.
Ah, and here is where we get the info. While he has received donations from a fair amount of lawyers and judges, the most and the largest donations are from real estate, insurance, financial advisors, and other large financial/real estate corporations.
He’s been 13 years a King County Superior Court judge
What focus I could find (and it was hard) is on victims’ rights, courthouse security, making courts relevant and accessible.
His website appears to be focused entirely on endorsements. He’s endorsed by a whole lot of Superior Court judges all over the state, and a lot of lower level politicians. What I’m not seeing
is any statement of principles. That definitely bothers me. He claims he always puts people first and will never be influenced by special interests. I wonder how that relates to the large sums donated by all those large business interests.
Ian Birk info@ianbirk.com https://ianbirk.com/about/
“He possesses a considerable intellect, accompanied by an empathic nature, and a dry, self-effacing wit.” He’s from Edmonds, skipped high school and went straight to UW.
As of 6-20-26 he has raised $293,565.00 That’s impressive. Most of the donations come from WA Education Association PAC, AI transparency coalition, several fishing groups, and pretty much all the rest are attorneys.
Because he got his JD so young, he has been able to spend 20 years as an attorney and still be young coming onto the appeals court bench in 2022. He rides his bicycle from home in Queen Ann to his downtown office. And he is very fond of classical music.
It looks like he is endorsed by every labor council, Dem organization, and Indivisible. The list of endorsing judges goes on for pages, as does the list of political figures and half the attorneys in the state.
As an attorney he represented individuals, families, and small businesses – often against powerful corporate interests – in cases involving insurance claims, consumer protection, workplace discrimination, and complex civil litigation. He volunteered with King County Neighborhood Legal Clinics, providing free assistance to people who couldn’t afford an attorney.
And to remind us that he is human there is a photo of him with his wife and their bicycles at the top of Washington Pass in the Cascades.
Given the options – someone with no stated philosophy and an awful lot of big business supporters vs a real human with a focus on people, I’ll be voting for Ian Birk.
Position 5
Theo Angelis info@justiceangelis.com
As of 6-12-26 he has raised $210,642.03. A lot of small donations and a fair collection from attorneys and judges.
He is a newly appointed incumbent as of 4-4-26, when he was appointed by Governor Ferguson. He is considered good by court watchers. He has a history as an appellate and intellectual property litigator. He has many credits, including “author & editor of leading treatise on WA law.” He worked for K&L Gates for 26 years. He’s done a massive amount of pro-bono work. He believes all lawyers have a duty to poor & underserved people. He has represented children denied counsel, vets wrongfully detained, refugee small business owners, and homeless people, among others. He co-authored a white paper, the founding document of the World Justice Project. He edited the WA Lawyers Practice Manual. He’s on a ton of committees, foundations, & associations, all of them good. Too many to list, but also fought for the rights of Christians in Turkey, his mother’s home country.
He’s got the usual very long list of endorsements, from a lot of people I respect.
Governor Ferguson: “colleagues praise his legal expertise, humility, and integrity.”
Judge Angelis: “When I chose the law as my calling I promised myself that I would always focus on how to use the law to help those in need.”
“I pledge to you, as a justice, I will be prepared and thoughtful,” Angelis said. “I will approach each case with passion and dedication. I will care deeply, always, about how every decision impacts people in Washington, and I will respect everyone who appears before this court.”
His father is Greek. His mother is Turkish.
Sharonda Amamilo electsharondaamamilo@gmail.com
As of 6-12-26 she has raised $24,000.55. Surprisingly, a significant donation from retired justice Mary Yu – who also donated to other candidates and has cross-endorsed. Is something happening with Justice Yu?
As a Thurston County Superior Court judge, Ms Amamilo presides over child welfare cases. She is the first person of color on that court. She advocates for “fairness, accountability, and compassion, particularly in cases involving children and families.” She was in the Army for 25 years. It is unclear if she is still in the US Army Reserve. She achieved the rank of Chief Warrant Officer, She’s an American Legion member. She grew up in the rural south. One has the distinct impression that she overcame a lot of adversity to reach her present position.
Dave Larson campaign@larsonforjustice
As of 6-12-26 he has raised $180,148.74
Donors include Gig Harbor Republican Club, “anonymous contributions”, Brandi Kruse (right wing podcaster), Richard Sanders (libertarian former Supreme Court justice), a fair number of investors, money managers, and developers – and a very large number of retired people. Almost no attorneys or judges. “Recommended” by WA Republicans.
Mr Larson is an anti-tax retired municipal judge who touts “41 years of experience”. This raises an issue with the mandatory retirement at age 75. Given his age (he was born in 1957) if elected he would take office at age 70 – and have to retire in 5 years, before the end of his 6 year term.
His watchwords are “Trust, neutrality, objectivity and independence.”
He created “How Freedom Works”, a program which he presents in schools around the state. He is big in Federal Way Kiwanis.
He is the former commander of McChord AFB Composite Squadron, also Civil Air Patrol.
His web page does not show endorsements. I had to search for those. I found he is endorsed by WA State Republicans, who support “diversity of thought” and by the WA Women’s Rights for Firearm Ownership.
In 2024 he was endorsed by WA Council of Police & Sheriffs
The Everett Post reports that he is “coming out of retirement again.” He is a perennial candidate – he ran in 2016, 2020, and 2024.
He believes “the court needs additional perspectives.”
He was a civil trial attorney for 23 years, with a focus on addiction & mental illness
Well, another one of Heywood’s anti-tax candidates. He actually came painfully close to winning in 2024.
Greg Miller millerforjustice@gmail.com
As of 6-12-26 he has raised $7920.11 and has spent all of $104.60. His donations come from 2 attorneys and a corporate CEO.
He has very little on line presence. I had to find him via Ballotpedia, which is very non-specific
He works with/for Czrney, Badley, Spellman, where his focus is health law, representing doctors in contract & medical practice issues. He has worked in administrative, civil & appellate procedure, statutory construction, commercial, contract, constitutional, criminal, medical malpractice, probate, and family law.
This appears to be a competent attorney, well intentioned, who might even make a good justice. He just doesn’t seem to understand how one runs for office. He has not raised any significant funds, solicited endorsements, built an on line presence, or made his platform known.
So, we’ve got recently appointed incumbent Theo Angelis, with piles of law credits. We’ve got Sharonda Amamilo, who seems like a solid, if slightly militarily leaning, judge. Not sure she’s quite ready for prime time. And we’ve got perennial candidate and Brian Heywood guy who says up front that he hates the millionaire tax, Dave Larson, and Greg Miller, who seems to have wandered in out of the ozone. No problem here. I will be voting for Theo Angelis.
Position 7
Debra L Stephens debra@debrastephenslaw.com
https://justicestephens.com/
https://ballotpedia.org/Debra_Stephens
As of 6-12-26 she has raised $44,963.38. Almost all of her donors are attorneys.
She seems to be running a very low key campaign. Not sure if that is because her challengers are so unimpressive or if she is a bit overconfident. Not sure this is the best approach.
She is the incumbent Chief justice. She’s been on the court since 2008, currently serving her 2nd term as chief justice. It appears that Chief Justice terms are for 1 year each.
She grew up in Spokane and took her law degree at Gonzaga University. She then taught constitutional law, community property, and appellate advocacy. She has appeared before the State Supreme Court more than 125 times and has also practiced before the US 9th Circuit and the Supreme Court. She’s also worked internationally, back when we had USAID, to train judges on judicial independence. She’s received a number of awards for her work. She volunteers for several youth services, food security, health care, and civic engagement organizations.
I like the “National Judicial College, Dividing the Waters program”, which supports judicial education on science & water law. She wrote the opinion upholding the Capital Gains tax. She is strongly supported by Washington Education Association, which the Everett Post denigrates as “advancing trans and LGBTQ inclusive agendas.” I’m good with that.
Her principles:
Protecting access to justice (she earned an award for this one)
Defending judicial independence (keeping them free from political pressure)
Bring eastern Washington’s voice to the bench (she’s from Spokane and retains strong ties)
Advancing judicial and civic education (leading in science and water law education programs)
Investing in the next generation (works with community groups and schools to teach law to young people)
There’s a rap supporting each of these headings and I find all of them good and useful. Also, I think I am seeing Justice Stevens adhering to the requirement not to express opinions on issues which might arise before the court.
There’s so much more to say about Justice Stevens, but there’s only so much room. She is very good at what she does and she’s been doing it well for nearly 20 years.
Todd Bloom electtodbloom@gmail.com
As of 6-12-26 he has raised $2786.85, all of it his own money.
He ran for state Supreme Court in 2024 – and lost. When he ran in 2024 he refused to answer any personal/biographical questions. His MA comes from the military. His “master of Laws” from UW is specialized in taxation. He was in the Navy reserve 1997 – 2002, active duty 2002-2013. He has worked as a senior manager in mega accounting firms. He’s had 20 years’ experience in financial planning and tax services.
He ran for US Representative in 2016 and 2022 in WA 06 (the Olympic peninsula), as a Republican and lost both times. He’s a member of the Louisiana bar. Hmm. He is endorsed by WA Women’s Rights for Firearm Ownership
Karim A Merchant karim@win4wa.com
He declared his candidacy on 5-8-26 and has raised precisely $0.00.
He’s a King County defense attorney with a single attorney law office, working in criminal defense. He has over 17 years’ courtroom experience. His Facebook page features a demonstrator holding a sign “Dude, where’s my $30 tabs?” That would be a reference to Tim Eyman (right wing initiative operative) and his campaign to cut back on auto registration fees. Eyman actually won that one, and the state lost a huge revenue source. There’s a comment on his Facebook page by another attorney: “hey man, just saying you may want to avoid making overt comments on how you would decide a case. It could run you afoul of the Judicial Conduct Commission. They do look directly at conduct during campaigns.” He responded “opinions on past supreme court opinions are fair game. I make no future promises.” It seems the Supreme Court failed him by not deciding in his favor on the issue.
There’s a long, rambling, poorly edited piece on his #1 Supreme Court justice, Tom Chambers. “A sensible guy. Sad to see his name on the McCleary decision” That was the decision requiring the state to fund schools adequately. He finds McCleary an example of judicial activism. I’m bothered by his poor use of language and failure to self-edit.
He expresses a wish for lower taxes. And he tells us honestly: “I’m such a rookie at this campaigning thing.”
He supports “Win Back Washington, “ a Republican campaign to take political power, which did not get off the ground.
He appears to be against the millionaire tax on procedural grounds. He cites an “excellent breakdown by Rob McKenna,” former Secretary of State and a well known Republican activist.
David R Shelvey david@davidshelvey.com
He has raised $0. Makes me wonder just how serious he is.
He ran for state Supreme Court, position 2 in 2024.
He either works for the Cowlitz Law Group and the Birch Bay Law Group as an attorney and tax accountant or he is a solo practitioner at Rockcraft PLLC. His on-line presence leaves a fair amount to be desired. His focus appears to be family law and tax law. He also has an MBA. On the side he appears to represent musicians and will gladly sell you a Rockcraft T shirt.
Its hard to take this candidate seriously.
Given the dross being offered, the choice is very easy. I will be voting for Debra Stephens.
Whew, you/we got through all of that. Now keep this parked somewhere so you can find it when ballots drop in mid-July. And please do distribute to everyone you can think of. We really do need good people and a functional State Supreme Court.
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