--- title: "Sheryl Gordon McCloud | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/sheryl-gordon-mccloud-justice-supreme-court-3034-wa" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-08-22" --- # Sheryl Gordon McCloud Supreme Court of Washington · Justice ## Profile - Court: Supreme Court of Washington - State: Washington - Role: Justice - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-08-22 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Judge, Washington Supreme Court, 2013-present - American judge and Justice of the Washington State Supreme Court since January 9, 2013, serving in Position 9 - McCloud was first elected to the Washington Supreme Court in 2012 to replace retiring Justice Tom Chambers, winning 55.24% of the vote ### Education ### Additional information - Her current term runs through January 13, 2031. - She has been re‐elected twice, most recently in November 2024, securing 97.5% of the vote. - Practitioner, 2012-2012 - Born October 5, 1955 in New York City, McCloud earned her BA from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1976 and her JD from the University of Southern California Gould School of Law in 1984. - Date of birth: 1955-10-05 - Before joining the court, she had over 25 years as a lawyer, including work as a public defender and appellate attorney, and taught at Seattle University School of Law. - On the court, McCloud co‐chairs the Gender & Justice Commission and serves as the Court’s liaison to the Washington State Bar’s Council on Public Defense. - BA — SUNY at Albany - She held the role of editor of the Southern California Law Review during law school. - USC Gould School of Law - She received the William O. Douglas Award from the Washington Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers for “extraordinary courage” in taking on difficult cases. - She is also a long‐time member of the Court’s Rules Committee, which oversees rules such as those against race discrimination in jury selection. - McCloud’s judicial independence and legal scholarship have been recognized by groups including Washington Women Lawyers and the Cardozo Society. - She is a founding member of the Washington Appellate Lawyers Association and an invited member of the American Association of Appellate Lawyers. ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### photography recording Scope: 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. Evidence excerpt: 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 judge [Washington GR 16, Courtroom Photography and Recording by the News Media](https://www.courts.wa.gov/court_rules/pdf/GR/GA_GR_16_00_00.pdf) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### limitations on recording Scope: statewide If a Washington judge limits courtroom photography or recording, GR 16 requires particularized findings on the record and treats open access as presumed. Evidence excerpt: Open access is presumed; limitations on access must be supported by reasons found by the judge to be sufficiently compelling to outweigh that presumption [Washington GR 16, Courtroom Photography and Recording by the News Media](https://www.courts.wa.gov/court_rules/pdf/GR/GA_GR_16_00_00.pdf) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.courts.wa.gov/appellate_trial_courts/supremecourt/?fa=supremecourt.justices) - [Official roster](https://www.courts.wa.gov/appellate_trial_courts/supremecourt/?fa=supremecourt.justices) - [Washington State Courts official judicial roster](https://www.courts.wa.gov/appellate_trial_courts/supremecourt/?fa=supremecourt.justices) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/5988/sheryl-gordon-mccloud/) - [Washington GR 16, Courtroom Photography and Recording by the News Media](https://www.courts.wa.gov/court_rules/pdf/GR/GA_GR_16_00_00.pdf) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/5988/sheryl-gordon-mccloud/) - [Wikidata: Sheryl Gordon McCloud](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16732242) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/sheryl-gordon-mccloud-justice-supreme-court-3034-wa", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/sheryl-gordon-mccloud-justice-supreme-court-3034-wa", "name": "Sheryl Gordon McCloud | KnowJudges", "description": "Sheryl Gordon McCloud, Supreme Court of Washington. 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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](https://www.courts.wa.gov/court_rules/pdf/GR/GA_GR_16_00_00.pdf). Collected 2026-07-26.