Judge G. Helen Whitener appointed to the WA Supreme Court

Gov. Jay Inslee announced the appointment of Judge G. Helen Whitener to the Washington State Supreme Court on Monday. Whitener will replace Justice Charles Wiggins, who retired in March.

“Her name and her talents are not new to me,” Inslee said.

In 2015, Inslee appointed Whitener to the Pierce County Superior Court, where she worked as a judge for more than five years, retaining her seat in a 2015 election and re-election in 2016.

“[She is] a community minded judge and will be a community minded justice,” Inslee said.

From 2013 to 2015, Whitener served as a judge on the Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals. Before becoming a judge, Whitener litigated criminal cases for 14 years as a prosecutor and defense attorney.

Whitener began by thanking Inslee for his appointment, and Justice Wiggins for his years of service.

“It is truly an honor to be appointed to the seat that he held,” she said.

She acknowledged that she will start this role from home due to the pandemic, but looks forward to being together with her fellow justices soon.

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“To the people of the state of Washington, we are showing the world that Washingtonians are united people,” Whitener said. “We may have differences, but we are not truly different. Our similarities outweigh our differences. We are one. And this pandemic will not defeat us.”

Whitener is originally from Trinidad. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Baruch College and her law degree from Seattle University.