Mary Fairhurst


Mary E. Fairhurst is an American attorney and former Chief Justice of the Washington Supreme Court.

Education

A native of Olympia, Washington, Fairhurst earned her undergraduate degree in political science from Gonzaga University in 1979, graduating cum laude. In 1984, she earned her J.D. degree from Gonzaga University School of Law, graduating magna cum laude.

Career

Fairhurst served in the Washington Attorney General's office under Christine Gregoire and Ken Eikenberry. Fairhurst worked on a constitutional amendment to increase the rights of crime victims. She has also organized statewide conferences on domestic violence.
Fairhurt joined the Washington Supreme Court after a successful election in 2003. In 2008, She won re-election against Michael J. Bond. On November 4, 2016 it was announced that Fairhurst had been elected Chief Justice of the Washington State Supreme Court.
Fairhurst served as the president of the Washington State Bar Association. She also served on the Bar Board of Governors representing Washington's 3rd congressional district and as the President of the Washington Women Lawyers.
In October 2018, Fairhurst wrote the majority opinion on a ruling to abolish state's death penalty.
In 2019, Fairhurst received the American Inns of Court Professionalism Award for the Ninth Circuit at the Judicial Conference of the Ninth Circuit in Spokane, Washington.
In October 2019, Fairhurst announced that she would retire from the court in January 2020, citing health concerns. On December 4, 2019, Governor Jay Inslee nominated Raquel Montoya-Lewis to succeed Fairhurst. Montoya-Lewis will be the first Native American on the Washington Supreme Court.