Debra L. Stephens at a glance
- Current role
- Chief Justice
- Jurisdiction
- Washington · State
- Judicial service
- Active
Debra L. Stephens
Chief Justice · Supreme Court of Washington
Biography
Professional career
- Her current term as Chief Justice began in January 2025 and will conclude in 2029
- Judge, Washington Supreme Court, 2008-present
- Chief Justice — 2020–2021
- Before her Supreme Court appointment, Stephens served as a judge for Division Three of the Washington Court of Appeals, appointed and later elected unopposed in 2007
- staff attorney for U.S. District Judge Fred Van Sickle — 1993–1995, then entered private practice
- taught as an adjunct professor at Gonzaga University School of Law, covering constitutional law, community property, appellate advocacy, and legal research
- She made history as the first judge from Division Three of the Court of Appeals and the first woman from Eastern Washington to serve on the state’s highest court
Education
- Gonzaga University School of Law, graduating summa cum laude — J.D. (1993)
- Gonzaga University — B.A. (1987)
Additional information
- She has been re-elected three times (2008, 2014, 2020) and is currently running for re-election in 2026
- Appointed to the Washington State Supreme Court in December 2007 by Governor Christine Gregoire and took office on January 1, 2008
- Practitioner, 2007-2007
- prof, 2007-2007
- Date of birth: 1965-01-01
- practiced law in Spokane
- West Valley High School
- focusing on appellate practice, and appeared as counsel over 125 times before the Washington State Supreme Court, as well as in the Idaho Supreme Court, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court
- Stephens has a long record of public service and civic engagement, including over a decade as a school board director, leadership roles in the Rotary Club, and volunteer mentoring for programs like Upward Bound
- She has contributed to judicial education nationally and internationally, working with USAID to train foreign judges on judicial independence and the rule of law
- She co-chairs the Washington Board for Judicial Administration and serves on committees for the National and International Association of Women Judges
- Birth place: Spokane
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 ↗
Published courtroom rules
Shared court rules
Washington GR 16, Courtroom Photography and Recording by the News Media
Supreme Court of Washington
Scope is limited to the court class in the source claim. Shared court context only; case-type restrictions, exceptions, later amendments and case orders apply. This is not a personal preference or a complete rules inventory.
Official source ↗ · Collected 2026-07-26Sources
Identity source checked August 22, 2026.
Biography sources checked October 11, 2026.
Washington State Courts official judicial roster
Identity source · HTML · Source checked August 22, 2026
View Washington State Courts official judicial roster ↗CourtListener judicial biographical directory
Identity source · HTML · Source checked August 3, 2026
View CourtListener judicial biographical directory ↗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 ↗