Barbara Madsen at a glance
- Current role
- Former Judge
- Jurisdiction
- Washington · State
- Judicial service
- Former
Barbara Madsen
Former Judge · Supreme Court of Washington
Biography
Professional career
- Judge, Washington Supreme Court, 1993-present
- Barbara A. Madsen (née Rupnick) is a retired American judge who served on the Washington State Supreme Court from 1993 until her retirement on April 3, 2026, and was Chief Justice from 2010 to 2017
- Chairing the Washington State Gender and Justice Commission (1998–2018), producing guides on domestic violence, sexual offenses, and immigration, and securing laws banning shackling of women prisoners during labor
- Unanimously elected by her colleagues to serve two terms as the 55th Chief Justice, from 2010-2017
- In 2009, she was unanimously elected by her colleagues as Chief Justice on January 11, 2010, serving two terms until 2017 — the second‐longest tenure in Washington state history
- Appointed chair of the Washington State Gender and Justice Commission in 1998
- Washington State Courts - Supreme Court Bios - Justice Barbara A. Madsen Justice Barbara A. Madsen Elected in 1992, Barbara Madsen was only the third woman to serve on the Washington Supreme Court
- Before joining the Supreme Court, Madsen worked as a public defender in King and Snohomish counties, held the role of Special Prosecutor for Seattle, and was appointed to the Seattle Municipal Court in 1988, later becoming its Presiding Judge.
- As Chief Justice, developing the limited legal license technician program — the first of its kind in the U.S. — to address access to justice for low‐ and moderate‐income residents
- Remembered for her commitment to equal justice, public service, and judicial education, and for breaking barriers as the first woman elected to the Washington Supreme Court
Education
- Undergraduate degree from the University of Washington in 1974.
Additional information
- Retired April 3, 2026, after 33 years on the court.
- Her retirement in 2026 marked a significant turnover on the court, with her successor to be appointed by Governor Bob Ferguson.
- Madsen married Donald Madsen in 1980; he died in 2022 from ALS.
- She was re‐elected in 1998, 2004, 2010, and 2016.
- Establishing Washington’s first Glass Ceiling Study (2001) and the Initiative for Diversity (2005).
- Co‐chairing the Crystal Brame Committee (2004) to mandate police protocols for domestic violence and sexual assault.
- Madsen was awarded the Judicial Award by the Equal Justice Coalition in 2004 and was named the Woman of the Year by the Seattle University School of Law in 2003.
- The first woman popularly elected to the Washington Supreme Court when she won a seat in 1992, taking office January 1, 1993.
- Practitioner, 1992-1992
- as a public defender, after receiving her J.D. from Gonzaga University School of Law in 1977.
- Born March 1, 1952 in Chicago, Illinois, she grew up in Renton, Washington, graduated from Hazen High School, obtained a BA from the University of Washington (1974), and a JD from Gonzaga University School of Law (1977).
- Date of birth: 1952-01-01
- They had four children: Sam, Hillary, Eleanor, and Beau.
- Birth place: Chicago
Applicable Court Rules & Procedures
Recording and broadcasting
Statewide
Washington GR 16 allows video recording, audio recording, and still photography by the news media in courtrooms only after the judge has expressly granted permission.
Video and audio recording and still photography by the news media are allowed in the courtroom during and between sessions, provided (1) that permission shall have first been expressly granted by the judgeWashington GR 16, Courtroom Photography and Recording by the News Media ↗
Statewide
If a Washington judge limits courtroom photography or recording, GR 16 requires particularized findings on the record and treats open access as presumed.
Open access is presumed; limitations on access must be supported by reasons found by the judge to be sufficiently compelling to outweigh that presumptionWashington GR 16, Courtroom Photography and Recording by the News Media ↗
Sources
Identity source checked August 22, 2026.
Biography sources checked October 11, 2026.
Washington Supreme Court current judicial profile
Identity source · HTML · Source checked August 22, 2026
View Washington Supreme Court current judicial profile ↗Washington GR 16, Courtroom Photography and Recording by the News Media
Statewide source · PDF · Source checked July 26, 2026
View Washington GR 16, Courtroom Photography and Recording by the News Media ↗