OLYMPIA, Wash. — Governor Bob Ferguson appointed civil rights attorney Colleen Melody to the Washington State Supreme Court, succeeding retiring Justice Mary Yu, according to a release from the Governor’s Office.
Monday’s announcement marked Ferguson’s first appointment to the state’s highest court. Melody led the Washington Attorney General’s Office Wing Luke Civil Rights Division since its inception 2015.
Before that, she worked as a litigator for the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C, investigating federal civil rights cases.
“Colleen Melody has devoted her career to standing up for those who often don’t have a voice in our justice system,” Governor Ferguson said. “Her public service has made our state and nation a more equitable place. She will make an excellent justice.”
The Spokane native played a role in blocking President Donald Trump’s first Muslim travel ban, worked to protect the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, and challenged the Trump Administration’s practice of arresting non-citizens at state and local courthouses, the governor’s office said.
Melody’s achievements have been recognized with several awards, including the Legal Foundation of Washington’s Charles A. Goldmark Distinguished Service Award and the American Immigration Lawyers Association Jack Wasserman Memorial Award.
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