Spokane native, 9th Circuit clerk, former DOJ attorney. 11 years as Chief of the AG's Civil Rights Division — led WA's litigation on abortion access, the Muslim ban, birthright citizenship, and DACA. Appointed to the court 1/1/26 by Gov. Ferguson.
35 years tax practice; no judicial experience. On the legal team challenging WA's capital gains tax; previously litigated against Seattle's income tax. Running as a direct critique of the court's tax rulings.
20 years in family-law practice; 18 years as pro tem family-law motions commissioner in Snohomish County. No campaign website, no reported PDC fundraising.
King Co. Superior Court 2018 → COA 2022. Former U.S. Attorney — Civil Rights; Obama appointee to U.S. District Court. Personally endorsed by retiring Justice Montoya-Lewis; backed by five sitting justices, AG Brown, ex-Govs. Inslee, Gregoire, Locke.
Family-law judge since 2022; entire prior career in public defense. Former ACLU of Washington legal strategy director. Endorsed by Gov. Ferguson, retired Justice Yu, Justice Whitener. Often dual-endorsed alongside Diaz — equally strong progressive choice.
Told the Seattle Red podcast: “My favorite Justice is Clarence Thomas. My second favorite is Samuel Alito.” Told The Jason Rantz Show the court lacks “diversity of thought.” One of two judicial candidates formally recommended by the WA State GOP.
Appointed to COA Div. I 2022, elected unopposed. Clerked at the WA Supreme Court; 20 years as a civil litigator. Endorsed by retired Justice Yu, four sitting justices, Comm. Kuderer, KC Exec. Zahilay, ex-Gov. Inslee, Sen. Pedersen.
King Co. Superior Court since 2013; previously 13 years as a senior King County prosecutor. Endorsed by Full Court Press (conservative judicial group). Took a $500 donation from former AG Rob McKenna, who is litigating against the income tax. Lists no LD Dems on his website.
Appointed Apr. 2026 to fill Justice Madsen's seat. 26 years leading K&L Gates' appellate practice; editor of WA Lawyers Practice Manual. Endorsed by Ferguson, ex-Gov. Gregoire, KC Exec. Zahilay, five sitting justices, Sen. Pedersen.
Superior court judge since 2020; pro tem WA COA Div. II. 12 years as a public defender; 25 years in Army Military Intelligence. Sits on the state Sentencing Guidelines Commission and DCYF Oversight Board. Endorsed by Justice Whitener — equally strong progressive choice.
40-year appellate practitioner, age 70+. Late filer with no active campaign website, no reported PDC fundraising, no endorsement footprint. Limited public information on judicial philosophy.
18 years on the municipal bench. Fifth bid for the Supreme Court (2000, 2016, 2020, 2024, 2026); lost to Justice Mungia in 2024. Formally recommended by the WA State Republican Party. ~$140K raised.
Authored the 2023 majority opinion upholding WA's capital gains tax. Seeking what would be her final term before mandatory retirement at age 75. Sitting incumbent justices typically draw lean endorsement campaigns — the absence of a long list is consistent with that pattern, not a weakness.
18+ years in public defense. No reported PDC fundraising, no campaign website, no endorsements or judicial-ratings record. Public-defense career is a progressive-leaning credential, but absence of campaign infrastructure leaves voters with little to evaluate.
Navy 2002–2013. Ran as a Republican for WA's 6th Congressional District in 2022. Ran for State Supreme Court in 2024 against Justice Mungia; took 16.4%.
No judicial experience, no PDC fundraising, no campaign website. Former radio personality. Originally filed for the Johnson seat, then refiled for Position 7. Argues judicial candidates should reject all endorsements — foreclosing any third-party vetting of his fitness.
Confluence Indivisible's member vote is in: the picks below are the official 2026 Midterms State Slate Card endorsements (STATE slate, Supreme Court rows), confirmed against the same King County & Legislative District Democrats endorsement-count signal this cheatsheet already used to project them. Questions about the slate: elections@confluenceindivisible.org.
Confirmed by CI's 2026 Midterms State Slate Card (member-vote endorsed) — these match the LD Dem-endorsement-based projections below.
Jaime Hawk (P3) and Sharonda Amamilo (P5) are substantive progressive candidates with serious endorsement footprints and progressive-anchored careers (ACLU/public defense for Hawk; public defense + Army MI for Amamilo). In LDs that issued dual endorsements, both candidates in each race were recommended together. CI's official member vote ultimately endorsed Diaz (P3) and Angelis (P5) — but voters prioritizing public-defense experience, civil-rights litigation, or diversifying the bench may still prefer Hawk or Amamilo; both remain credible progressive choices.
Judicial races are different from legislative or executive races. Many voters skip them because candidates don't talk about issues. Here's a framework for making an informed choice.
Consider what role the particular judge fills before evaluating their experience. The lower the court, the more practical experience in that specific court is useful. The higher the court, the more critical thinking, clear writing, and a documented record of both is useful. The Supreme Court deals heavily in the gray areas of justice and policy interpretation — so a good legal mind with a demonstrated legal philosophy matters most.
Four sitting justices are not up: Salvador Mungia (Pos. 2, term ends 2030), G. Helen Whitener (Pos. 6, ends 2028), Steven González (Pos. 8, ends 2030), Sheryl McCloud (Pos. 9, ends 2030).
These are nonpartisan races; candidates don't run with a party label. We used three documented signals: LD Dem endorsements — King County & Legislative District Democrats counts as of 6/1/26 (32 LDs eligible). LDs run a structured vetting and questionnaire process; counts are the cleanest objective signal available. Progressive indicator: endorsements from Gov. Ferguson, AG Brown, sitting Dem-appointed justices; or career in civil rights / public defense / progressive impact litigation. Conservative indicator: formal WAGOP recommendation; endorsement by Full Court Press (conservative judicial group); prior GOP candidacies for partisan office; public record citing Justices Thomas/Alito as judicial models.
Lean labels reflect documented record only. They are not predictions of how a justice will rule, and they are not an official CI endorsement of any candidate — CI's official endorsement will follow our member vote.