Theo Angelis
WA · Justice of the Washington Supreme Court
Theo Angelis was an award-winning appellate and intellectual property litigator in private practice for 26 years at K&L Gates, where he led the firm's Appellate practice and served as global leader of its Intellectual Property practice. He has spent thousands of hours on pro bono cases.
Where Theo Angelis stands, based on their records
Supports
Public Safety and Crime Control (1 record), Civil Rights (1 record)
Track record
Track record — Public Safety and Crime Control
Public Safety and Crime Control · 1 support
Theo Angelis co-chaired the Law Enforcement Committee of the Washington Attorney General's Youth Internet Safety Task Force. The task force delivered its final report to the Legislature, and Washington Courts credits the committee's work with helping change state law to facilitate prosecution of online crimes against children.
September 3, 2009Supports Public Safety and Crime Control
Source: app.leg.wa.gov
Track record — Civil Rights
Civil Rights · 1 support
Signed a letter with the full Washington Supreme Court acknowledging the state legal system's harm to Indigenous people. It urged judges and lawyers to confront biased precedent.
June 5, 2026Supports Civil Rights
Source: courts.wa.gov
Track record — General
General · 2 records
Appointed to the Washington Supreme Court by Governor Bob Ferguson on March 9, 2026, effective April 4. Practiced law for 25 years as an appellate and litigation partner, and won the ACLU's Humanitarian Award for work on behalf of unrepresented immigrant children.
March 9, 2026
Source: governor.wa.gov
Theo Angelis participated through K&L Gates in filing the nationwide J.E.F.M. class action challenging the federal government's practice of placing children in deportation proceedings without appointed counsel. He publicly argued that pro bono representation could reach only a fraction of affected children.
July 9, 2014
Source: aclu.org
Track record — Legal Competence
Legal Competence · 4 favorable
At his formal swearing-in, Theo Angelis described deciding cases and supervising the statewide justice system as distinct parts of the court's work, identified continual re-examination and reform of that system as important, and connected judicial decisions to their effects on Washington residents and people appearing before the court.
May 18, 2026Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: courts.wa.gov
Theo Angelis was one of the K&L Gates lawyers representing the Duwamish Tribe when a federal court vacated the Interior Department's prior federal-recognition ruling, ordered reconsideration of the Tribe's petition, and allowed new evidence concerning continuity with the historic Duwamish Tribe.
February 7, 2025Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: klgates.com
Theo Angelis and a K&L Gates team represented U.S. Army veteran and naturalized citizen Rennison Castillo after ICE wrongfully detained him for more than seven months. The team defeated a motion to dismiss on qualified-immunity grounds and obtained a $400,000 settlement, a formal apology, and revised ICE operational instructions for citizenship claims.
February 24, 2011Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: files.klgates.com
Theo Angelis co-chaired the Law Enforcement Committee of the Washington Attorney General's Youth Internet Safety Task Force. The task force delivered its final report to the Legislature, and Washington Courts credits the committee's work with helping change state law to facilitate prosecution of online crimes against children.
September 3, 2009Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: app.leg.wa.gov
Past races Theo Angelis ran in:
- Justice of the Supreme Court, Position 5 · November 3, 2026 · Washington · incumbent
- Justice of the Supreme Court, Position 5 · August 4, 2026 · Washington · incumbent