Debra L. Stephens
Nonpartisan · WA · Chief Justice of the Washington Supreme Court
Debra L. Stephens is the Chief Justice of the Washington Supreme Court and a candidate for reelection to Justice Position 7 in 2026. She has served on the Supreme Court since 2008, previously served on Division Three of the Washington Court of Appeals, and earlier practiced appellate law and taught at Gonzaga University School of Law.
Track record
Civil Rights
· 10 records
Chief Justice Debra L. Stephens announced two Supreme Court self-help guides explaining petitions for review and motions for discretionary review, describing them as a way to make appellate procedures more understandable and transparent for self-represented litigants and lawyers.
March 4, 2026For
Source: courts.wa.gov · researched July 13, 2026
Chief Justice Debra L. Stephens issued statewide guidance collecting legal resources on immigration enforcement in and around courthouses and directed courts to protect safe access to judicial proceedings without fear or intimidation.
February 3, 2025For
Source: courts.wa.gov · researched July 13, 2026
A bar-licensure task force chartered by then-Chief Justice Debra L. Stephens in November 2020 led to the Washington Supreme Court's approval of alternative experiential pathways to lawyer licensure without requiring the traditional bar exam.
March 15, 2024For
Source: courts.wa.gov · researched July 13, 2026
Justice Debra L. Stephens wrote separately in State v. Blake, agreeing that Shannon Blake's conviction should be vacated while arguing that Washington's possession statute should be read to require the State to prove intent rather than be invalidated in full.
February 25, 2021For
Source: courts.wa.gov · researched July 13, 2026
Chief Justice Debra L. Stephens provided review and leadership for statewide open-court guidelines that helped courts preserve public access to proceedings during pandemic-related operating limits.
July 27, 2020For
Source: courts.wa.gov · researched July 13, 2026
Chief Justice Debra L. Stephens joined every Washington Supreme Court justice in signing an open letter calling on judges and lawyers to recognize the justice system's role in racial inequity and work to eradicate racism.
June 4, 2020For
Source: courts.wa.gov · researched July 13, 2026
Chief Justice Debra L. Stephens signed a statewide emergency order for dependency and termination cases that preserved judges' authority to order individualized in-person parent-child visitation, with health precautions, when virtual foster-care visitation was inadequate.
April 3, 2020For
Source: courts.wa.gov · researched July 13, 2026
Justice Debra L. Stephens authored the majority opinion in State v. Winterstein, holding that the inevitable-discovery doctrine is incompatible with article I, section 7 of the Washington Constitution and requiring suppression analysis for an unauthorized residence search.
December 3, 2009For
Source: cases.justia.com · researched July 13, 2026
Judge Debra L. Stephens authored State v. Duckett, reversing a second-degree rape conviction because prospective jurors were questioned outside the courtroom without the public-trial analysis required by the Washington Constitution.
November 27, 2007For
Source: spokesman.com · researched July 13, 2026
Judge Debra L. Stephens authored Zink v. City of Mesa for the Washington Court of Appeals, holding that administrative inconvenience did not excuse strict compliance with the Public Disclosure Act and reversing a substantial-compliance ruling.
August 23, 2007For
Source: courts.wa.gov · researched July 13, 2026
Integrity and Ethics
· 2 records
The Washington State Association for Justice named Debra L. Stephens its Judge of the Year, crediting her leadership in rapidly moving courts to remote hearings during COVID-19 and in the Supreme Court's racial-justice letter.
June 3, 2022
Source: courts.wa.gov · researched July 13, 2026
Chief Justice Debra L. Stephens joined every Washington Supreme Court justice in signing an open letter calling on judges and lawyers to recognize the justice system's role in racial inequity and work to eradicate racism.
June 4, 2020
Source: courts.wa.gov · researched July 13, 2026
Legal Competence
· 14 records
Debra L. Stephens' reelection campaign published a current endorsement roster that includes every sitting Washington Supreme Court justice, five retired Supreme Court justices, more than 140 other judges, elected officials, attorneys, community members, and organizational endorsers.
July 10, 2026For
Source: justicestephens.com · researched July 13, 2026
Chief Justice Debra L. Stephens announced two Supreme Court self-help guides explaining petitions for review and motions for discretionary review, describing them as a way to make appellate procedures more understandable and transparent for self-represented litigants and lawyers.
March 4, 2026For
Source: courts.wa.gov · researched July 13, 2026
Chief Justice Debra L. Stephens issued statewide guidance collecting legal resources on immigration enforcement in and around courthouses and directed courts to protect safe access to judicial proceedings without fear or intimidation.
February 3, 2025For
Source: courts.wa.gov · researched July 13, 2026
A bar-licensure task force chartered by then-Chief Justice Debra L. Stephens in November 2020 led to the Washington Supreme Court's approval of alternative experiential pathways to lawyer licensure without requiring the traditional bar exam.
March 15, 2024For
Source: courts.wa.gov · researched July 13, 2026
The Washington State Association for Justice named Debra L. Stephens its Judge of the Year, crediting her leadership in rapidly moving courts to remote hearings during COVID-19 and in the Supreme Court's racial-justice letter.
June 3, 2022For
Source: courts.wa.gov · researched July 13, 2026
Justice Debra L. Stephens wrote separately in State v. Blake, agreeing that Shannon Blake's conviction should be vacated while arguing that Washington's possession statute should be read to require the State to prove intent rather than be invalidated in full.
February 25, 2021For
Source: courts.wa.gov · researched July 13, 2026
Chief Justice Debra L. Stephens provided review and leadership for statewide open-court guidelines that helped courts preserve public access to proceedings during pandemic-related operating limits.
July 27, 2020For
Source: courts.wa.gov · researched July 13, 2026
Chief Justice Debra L. Stephens signed a statewide emergency order for dependency and termination cases that preserved judges' authority to order individualized in-person parent-child visitation, with health precautions, when virtual foster-care visitation was inadequate.
April 3, 2020For
Source: courts.wa.gov · researched July 13, 2026
Justice Debra L. Stephens authored the majority opinion in Camicia v. Howard S. Wright Construction Co., affirming that disputed facts over whether an I-90 trail served a recreational or transportation purpose prevented summary judgment under recreational-use immunity.
January 30, 2014For
Source: courts.wa.gov · researched July 13, 2026
Justice Debra L. Stephens authored the majority opinion in State v. Winterstein, holding that the inevitable-discovery doctrine is incompatible with article I, section 7 of the Washington Constitution and requiring suppression analysis for an unauthorized residence search.
December 3, 2009For
Source: cases.justia.com · researched July 13, 2026
Judge Debra L. Stephens authored State v. Duckett, reversing a second-degree rape conviction because prospective jurors were questioned outside the courtroom without the public-trial analysis required by the Washington Constitution.
November 27, 2007For
Source: spokesman.com · researched July 13, 2026
Judge Debra L. Stephens authored Zink v. City of Mesa for the Washington Court of Appeals, holding that administrative inconvenience did not excuse strict compliance with the Public Disclosure Act and reversing a substantial-compliance ruling.
August 23, 2007For
Source: courts.wa.gov · researched July 13, 2026
Debra L. Stephens served as co-counsel for the family of Delbert Hayward when an Idaho jury awarded $18 million in punitive damages after finding nursing-home abuse and improper medication contributed to his death.
May 17, 2006For
Source: spokesman.com · researched July 13, 2026
Debra L. Stephens argued Hayward v. Valley Vista Care Corporation before the Idaho Supreme Court. The court reversed dismissal of the estate's wrongful-death claim and remanded it for further proceedings.
September 28, 2001For
Source: caselaw.findlaw.com · researched July 13, 2026
Elections
- Justice of the Supreme Court, Position 7 · August 4, 2026 · Washington · incumbent
Profile last researched July 13, 2026.