(The Center Square) – Campaign donors have already put more than $1.5 million combined behind 16 Washington Supreme Court candidates ahead of the August primary election, as voters face a decision that could rebalance the makeup of the bench ahead of a future ruling on the state’s new income tax.
Five positions on the high court are up for grabs this year, with four of those races seeing a contested primary this summer. The incumbents are leading in funding for their races, with much of that money and institutional support flowing from attorneys, plaintiff-side law firms, Democrats and labor unions.
Judicial candidates are generally barred from commenting on pending cases or issues likely to reach the high court. Still, endorsements and donations can show which political, labor, business and legal stakeholders view the nonpartisan races as important as litigation over the new income tax advances.
Position 1 – Ferguson appointee faces two challengers
Justice Colleen Melody, who has faced criticism over perceived conflicts of interest around her recent appointment to the court and her history at the attorney general’s office, has raised about $175,520.
Melody has spent about $71,551 and has $10,153 in debt, according to the campaign finance records.
Melody’s records show donors including sitting justices, candidates for other Supreme Court positions, Attorney General Nick Brown, Gov. Bob Ferguson’s communications director Brionna Aho, lawyers and other staffers tied to the Attorney General’s Office, and state Democrats who voted for the income tax.
Melody is also endorsed by state Treasurer Mike Pellicciotti and Insurance Commissioner Patty Kuderer, House Majority Leader Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon, the Washington Education Association and labor unions.
“When you’ve been … hired by the governor, the governor appoints you to the highest court, and then in your first election, those folks are all backing you and financially supporting you; you know, one can make the conclusion that they feel that she will be very supportive of their arguments,” Tim Kovis, the president of Full Court Press, a nonprofit intending to bring “balance” to the Supreme Court, told The Center Square.
Melody has not responded to email inquiries from The Center Square about whether she would recuse herself in a future ruling on the income tax, given her history at the AGO, which would defend the tax.
She responded to an email from The Center Square on Monday indicating she didn’t have time for an interview this week.
Scott Edwards, a Seattle-based tax attorney challenging Melody, has raised about $30,464 and spent $5,276, reporting no debt as of June 15. Edwards put more than $3,000 of his own money behind the race, with additional donations from retirees and individuals in the business, finance and legal sectors.
His campaign site did not publicly list a slate of organizational endorsements as of publication on June 15.
Laura Christensen Colberg, a family law attorney and longtime Snohomish County Superior Court pro tem commissioner, has raised about $17,461 and spent $12,028, with no reported debt. She has put nearly $10,000 of her own money into the campaign, along with donations from family and others.
Her campaign site did not publicly list a slate of organizational endorsements as of publication on June 15.
Position 3 – Challengers face off for retiring Justice Montoya-Lewis’ seat
Michael Diaz, a state Court of Appeals Division I judge and former King County Superior Court judge, has raised about $205,013 and spent $45,320, with about $8,845 in debt. Nearly half of his funding is tied to attorneys and law firms, with endorsements from major labor, Democratic and judicial figures.
Diaz is also backed by Sen. Jamie Pedersen, who helped draft the income tax and previously worked at K&L Gates with Gov. Ferguson. Several individuals at that law firm have donated to Diaz’s race, as have attorneys from Perkins Coie and Pacifica Law Group, firms that have worked with the AGO.
Other endorsements include the attorney general, former Gov. Jay Inslee, several sitting justices, the Washington Education Association, local Democratic parties, court officials across the state and unions.
Jaime Michelle Hawk, a King County Superior Court judge, has raised $152,190 and spent $18,254, with $7,500 in debt. Like other candidates, much of her funding comes from lawyers and supporters like former Justice Mary Yu, Pellicciotti, Kuderer and others, with roughly $7,669 in self-funding.
Hawk is endorsed by Ferguson, U.S. Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal, State Auditor Pat McCarthy, several Democrats who voted for the new income tax, local Democratic parties and labor unions.
David Stevens, a Mason County Superior Court judge, has raised about $23,136 and spent $7,735, with $1,000 in debt. He’s received donations from law enforcement groups, Republican organizations, individuals in the construction and business sectors, retirees and attorneys, among others.
Stevens is one of just two candidates endorsed by the Washington State Republican Party this year.
“WAGOP believes both judges will be immensely valuable additions to our state’s highest court,” WAGOP Chairman Jim Walsh wrote in an April press release.
Position 4 – Newcomers eye retiring Justice Johnson’s seat
Ian Birk, a state Court of Appeals Division I judge, has raised $279,315 and spent about $44,339, with $8,993 in debt. Nearly 75% of his donations are tied to lawyers and major plaintiff-side and trial-lawyer firms, such as Pfau Cochran Vertetis Amala, Connelly Law Offices, Keller Rohrback, Schroeter Goldmark & Bender and others.
Birk has been endorsed by the attorney general, Jayapal, Fitzgibbon, Pedersen, Kuderer, several other state Democrats, local Democratic parties, labor unions and the Washington Education Association.
Sean O’Donnell, a King County Superior Court judge who advanced directly to the general election with Birk, has raised $206,044 and spent about $32,385, with zero debt. He’s also received support from attorneys, but the largest share of his money came from the business, finance and tech sectors.
O’Donnell has been endorsed by U.S. Democratic Reps. Adam Smith and Marilyn Strickland, former Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell, local Democratic parties, the Washington Council of Police and Sheriffs, prosecutors across the state, hundreds of judicial officers, as well as retail and farm advocacy groups.
Position 5 – Ferguson appointee faces Larson, Amamilo and Miller
Justice Theo Angelis, an incumbent recently appointed by Ferguson to fill the position formerly held by Justice Barbara Madsen, has raised $210,642 and spent about $41,273, with $13,000 in debt. Angelis used to work at K&L Gates with Ferguson and Pedersen, two key players behind the new income tax.
Attorneys from K&L Gates made significant donations to Angelis campaign, along with individuals from Pfau Cochran Vertetis Amala, Perkins Coie, and Amazon, among other organizations. He’s endorsed by Ferguson, Pedersen, several sitting justices, local Democratic parties and labor unions, among others.
Dave Larson, a retired Federal Way Municipal Court judge who nearly beat Justice Sal Mungia in 2024, has raised $177,532 and spent about $49,632, with zero reported debt. Compared to Angelis’ backing, Larson’s donations appear more concentrated among business, finance, real estate and tech sectors.
Notable contributors include Seattle Mariners chairman John Stanton, Columbia Ventures founder Kenneth Peterson, former telecom and aviation executive Bruce McCaw, former Longview Fibre CEO Rick Wollenberg, Jean Barber of Bartell Drugs and state-and-local tax attorney William Severson.
Like Stevens, Larson is the only other candidate endorsed by WAGOP, in addition to the Forward Party, a centrist third-party organization founded by former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang.
Sharonda Amamilo, a Thurston County Superior Court judge, has raised roughly $24,000 and spent $16,668, with zero reported debt. She contributed about $3,200 of her own money, with donations also coming from Yu, two people from Illinois, and a few attorneys and state and local court officials.
Her website lists endorsements from the Washington State Labor Council, the Washington Education Association, labor unions, several Democratic organizations, elected officials and numerous judges.
Greg Miller, an attorney at Carney Badley Spellman with experience in health law, constitutional issues and family law, has raised $5,300 and spent about $105, with zero reported debt. He’s reported only five donations as of June 15 from employees of Perkins Coie, Scripps Enterprises and his employer.
His campaign site did not publicly list a slate of organizational endorsements as of publication on June 15.
“These candidates have all started at different times. Some are a little bit more sophisticated than others, so I think the numbers will change between now and August,” Kovis told The Center Square. “In the governor’s election two years ago, I forget how many people were on the ballot, but you know, at the end of the day, there were really two legitimate, maybe I guess three-ish actual functioning campaigns,”
Position 7 – Chief Justice seeks reelection
Debra Stephens, the chief justice who has served on the bench since 2008, has raised $18,450 and spent about $2,031, with zero reported debt. Most of her money has come from lawyers at firms such as Terrell Marshall, Johnson Flora Sprangers, Luvera Law Firm and Schroeter Goldmark & Bender.
Stephens is endorsed by the Washington State Labor Council and the King County Democratic Party.
Todd Bloom, a tax attorney who sits on the Washington State Bar Association’s Board of Governors, has raised $3,008, all of which was self-contributed, and spent just as much, with zero reported debt.
Karim Merchant, a Bellevue-area criminal defense attorney, has reported zero contributions, spending or debt as of publication on June 15 and does not have a website listing his campaign endorsements.
David Shelvey, a Sumner-based family law attorney and former state Supreme Court candidate, has also reported zero contributions while spending $2,848, and has no public endorsements listed online.
“I think this election will be a question of the status quo or a change in direction,” Kovis said Monday.