Washington state Supreme Court Justice Barbara Madsen is retiring, the court announced Monday, adding to significant turnover on the court this year.
Madsen, who has served in the role since 1993, will step down April 3, leaving her spot to be appointed by Gov. Bob Ferguson. Her term expires in January 2029.
“My commitment to the rule of law and to the future of our outstanding judiciary remain as strong as the day I assumed the role of judge 38 years ago,” Madsen said in a statement. “I will continue to contribute in different ways because I believe it is time to pass the gavel, making way for new ideas and the next generation of great judges.”
Ferguson is beginning the selection process immediately, telling applicants to submit materials by Feb. 26. He’ll make an appointment by April 3. Those who sought Justice Mary Yu’s seat upon her retirement last year will be considered. Whoever the governor appoints will be up for election this year to serve the remainder of Madsen’s term.
“I want to express my deep appreciation to Justice Madsen for her lifetime of service to the people of Washington and the rule of law,” Ferguson said in a statement.
This will already be Ferguson’s second pick for the state’s high court. Justice Colleen Melody joined the nine-judge bench last month to replace retiring Justice Mary Yu. Ferguson and Melody worked together at the attorney general’s office before he became governor last year.
Madsen’s retirement also adds to other recent turnover at the court. By this time next year, a third of the justices will be new.
Last week, Justice Raquel Montoya-Lewis, the first Native American elected statewide in Washington’s history, said she wouldn’t seek reelection this year after serving one six-year term.
Montoya-Lewis has endorsed state Appeals Court Judge J. Michael Diaz in this year’s election to take her seat. Diaz also has Attorney General Nick Brown’s support.
Justice Charles Johnson is required to retire this year, as he turns 75. The state constitution requires justices to retire at the end of the calendar year in which they turn 75. Johnson, the longest-serving justice, has been on the court since 1991.
Appeals Court Judge Ian Birk, King County Superior Court Judge Sean O’Donnell and David Shelvey have filed for election to replace Johnson. Shelvey ran for the seat Justice Sal Mungia won in 2024 and finished a distant fourth in the primary.
Thurston County Superior Court Judge Sharonda Amamilo is also planning to run for a spot on the court.
Amamilo, Birk and Diaz all applied for Melody’s appointment, according to the governor’s office.
Madsen served as chief justice from 2010 to 2017 and was the first woman to be picked to serve two terms as chief justice on the court. She was also the first woman to join the court via election, sometimes campaigning with her young children in tow, according to a court biography.
“I never imagined I would have the honor of being a justice of the Washington Supreme Court. I leave this position now with immense gratitude and humility for the opportunity to be part of the fabric of this great state,” Madsen wrote in a letter to Ferguson on Friday.
A Renton native, she graduated from the University of Washington and the Gonzaga School of Law. In her letter to Ferguson, she recalled her humble beginnings as her parents moved to Washington state from Chicago in 1952, “hoping for a different kind of life.”
“I was one of five children, and my neighbors were chickens, horses, goats, and acres of trees,” she wrote. “My parents taught me that hard work would open doors for me.”
Madsen began her career as a public defender. She was appointed to the Seattle Municipal Court bench in 1988. While there, she worked to increase chances for women and people of color to become pro tem judges.
She was moved to run for the state Supreme Court after watching the 1991 Senate confirmation hearings for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, in which Anita Hill accused Thomas of sexual harassment.
After a few years on the court, she became chair of the state’s Gender and Justice Commission, focused on bias in the legal system. She held that role for over 20 years.
In 2015, Madsen wrote the court’s opinion finding charter schools unconstitutional, overturning a voter-approved law. In the ruling, she wrote that due to the charter school law, “money that is dedicated to common schools is unconstitutionally diverted to charter schools.”
Her daughter, Hillary Madsen, is a current King County Superior Court judge.
Justice Madsen resignation announcement 1-30-26
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