Judicial Questionnaire – 2026 Revision
Candidate Info
Candidate Name: Judge Jaime Hawk
Position Sought: Supreme Court, Position 3
Are you an incumbent for this position? Non-incumbent
Home Legislative District: 30th LD
Campaign Info
Campaign Manager or Point of Contact: Erin Schultz
List social media sites: www.judgehawk.com
Part I – Candidate Background
1. Please describe your qualifications, education, employment, past community and civic activity, as well as any other relevant experience.
For over 20 years, I have been a state and national legal leader:
EMPLOYMENT
Judge, Washington Superior Court for King County (appointed by Governor Inslee, elected twice since) – Presided over hundreds of criminal, civil, and family law cases, as well as appeals from lower courts.
Civil Rights Attorney, ACLU of Washington (voting rights and criminal justice reform work, as well as counsel of record & amicus briefing before the Washington Supreme Court)
Law Clerk to Federal Judge
Adjunct Professor of Law
Federal defender (including trial and appellate work)
State public defender (state trial work)
Attorney Fellow, U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee staff of Senator Edward (Ted) Kennedy
EDUCATION
Gonzaga University, BA, JD with honors (Full-Tuition Thomas More Scholarship)
COMMUNITY AND CIVIC ACTIVITY
Federal Judicial Selection Committee for the Eastern District of Washington: Appointed member by U.S. Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell (2012-2013)
Washington Supreme Court, Minority and Justice Commission: Appointed member by the Court; Serve on the Rules & Legislation Committee (2022-current) and Outreach Committee (2025-current); also served on the Supreme Court Symposium Planning Committee (2016 “Pre-Trial Justice: Reducing the Rate of Incarceration”); (2017 “Jury Diversity in Washington: A Hollow Promise or Hopeful Future?”); (2020-2021 “Behind Bars: The Increased Incarceration of Women and Girls of Color”); (2024 “A Legacy of Harm: Examining the Impacts of Our Sentencing Paradigm”)
Race and Criminal Justice Task Force 2.0: Oversight Working Group member, Recommendations and Implementation Working Group member, Pretrial Reform committee (2020-2022)
King County Pretrial Reform Working Group: Appointed Member (2019-2020)
Washington’s Pretrial Reform Task Force: Member; Racial and Ethnic Considerations Workgroup (2017-2019)
Washington State Task Force on Unaccompanied Children: Appointed Member (2015-2019)
American Bar Association: Criminal Justice Section Councilmember (2016-2024), Defense Function Committee Chair (2014- 2015), Young Lawyer Outreach Committee Co-Chair (2012-2013); Civil Rights and Social Justice Section, Civil Rights and Economic Opportunity Committee Co-Chair (2017-2022); GP Solo Section, Pro Bono and Public Service Committee Co-Chair (2011-2016)
Access to Justice Board: Court Rules Committee Member (2017-current); ATJ Statewide Conference Planning Committee Member (2006-2015)
Celebrate Pro Bono Week: Statewide Organizing (2009)
Washington State Bar Association: Washington Young Lawyers Division President and Board of Trustees member (2007- 2010); Greater Access and Assistance Project (GAAP) Committee, Co-Chair (2007-2010)
Volunteer Lawyers Program, Grant County: Co-Chair (2006-2007)
King County Superior Court: Courts & Community Committee (2022-current), Co-Chair (2023-current); Education/Training Committee (2023-2024); Family Law Committee (2025-current)
Superior Court Judges Association (SCJA): Criminal Law and Rules Committee (2023-current); Equality and Fairness Committee (2024-current)
National Association of Women Judges: Judicial Independence Committee (2026-current); Ensuring Racial Equity Committee (2026-current)
American Bar Association Judicial Division: Member (2023-current)
Washington State Bar Association (WSBA): Washington Young Lawyers Division, President (2008-2009) and Board of Trustees (2007-2010); WSBA Delegate to the American Bar Association (ABA) House of Delegates (2011-2022); Council on Public Defense, appointed member (2016-2022); Civil Rights Section, Executive Committee (2018-2022); World Peace Through Law Section, Human Rights Advisor (2005-2007)
American Bar Association: House of Delegates, WSBA Delegate (2011-2021); Criminal Justice Section, Council member (2016-2024); Judicial Division, Lawyers Conference, Judicial Outreach Committee, Co-Chair (2018); Working Group on Building Trust in the American Justice System, Member (2017-2019); Center for Human Rights, Advisory Board Member (2016-2025); Civil Rights and Social Justice Section, Civil Rights and Economic Opportunity Committee, Co-Chair (2017-2022); Working Group for Unaccompanied Immigrant Children, Member (2014-2019); Fund for Justice and Education, Board Member (2014-2017); Legal Observer to the Military Commission at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba (2013); Commission on Domestic and Sexual Violence, Commission Member and Liaison (2003-2018); Standing Committee for Public Education, Member (2012-2015); SCLAID Indigent Defense Advisory Committee, Liaison (2014-2018); YLD Public Service National Coordinator (2008-2009)
King County Bar Association: Public Policy Committee, Member (2018-2022); Removing Barriers subcommittee (2019-2022) American Bar Foundation: Co-Chair of Washington State Fellows (2017-2023)
Federal Bar Association, Western District of Washington: Federal Civil Rights Legal Clinic, Volunteer (2017-2022); DREAM Court Committee, Chair (2019-2022); Criminal Law Committee, Co-Chair (2016-2017); Membership Committee, Co Chair (2018-2019)
Washington Women Lawyers (WWL): King County WWL, Board member and VP of Legislative Affairs (2006-2009); Spokane County WWL, Board member (2010-2012); liaison to state board (2008-2009)
Center for Women and Democracy: Board of Directors (2009-2014); International Delegate [Chile (2007), Morocco (2009), Vietnam (2011), Rwanda (2013), Iceland (2015), Middle East (2017), Peru (2024)]; Leadership Institute, Presenter (2016, 2018)
Washington State Bar Foundation: Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP) Advisory Cmte, Washington Defender Association Representative (2006-2009)
Washington Defender Association: Member and Presenter (2006-2021)
2. What prompted you to run for this office?
I decided to run for the Washington State Supreme Court to protect our rights and freedoms and the rule of law, as I have consistently done throughout my career.
At a time when confidence in public institutions is being tested and fundamental rights are increasingly debated in courts across the country, I believe Washington needs justices who are deeply committed to fairness, judicial independence, and equal access to justice. I have dedicated my career to public service, as a public defender, civil rights attorney, adjunct law professor, and now as a judge, and I believe this is the moment to continue that service at the highest level of our state judiciary.
Additionally, I decided to run because I know firsthand as a trial judge how much court decisions affect people’s daily lives. Whether it is protecting constitutional rights, ensuring accountability, or maintaining public trust in the legal system, the Supreme Court shapes the future of our state in profound ways. I want to bring my experience, my commitment to impartial justice, and my understanding of the real-world impact of the law to the Court. Washington deserves a Supreme Court that is thoughtful, fair, and grounded in the principle that justice must be accessible to everyone, not just those with power or resources.
3. What do you believe are the most important qualifications for a judge or justice?
Legal experience representing individuals (instead of only the government or corporations), so that a judge knows the struggles that an individual may face interacting with the court, and how that individual may perceive the court system.
A track record of consistent service and understanding of barriers to the courts and access to justice needs.
Consistency following the law.
4. What priorities are you seeking to address with your campaign?
Creating greater trust and confidence in our court system.
Advancing court policies to enhance access to justice.
Protecting rights, freedoms, and the rule of law.
5. What is the code of conduct for your campaign?
My campaign code of conduct has been adopted here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1i4TMyh_KJIGhAD5ANl5Tdem4Vsjv3c1Q/edit
Part II – Access to Justice
1. If elected, how will you work to improve access to justice, particularly for communities and constituencies that do not understand the American legal system?
Courts must be accessible to all communities and constituencies. Not having access to a lawyer is one of the biggest barriers to our courts. Statewide civil legal aid providers such as the Northwest Justice Project, Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, Columbia Legal Services, and volunteer lawyer projects do incredible work to provide free legal services with limited resources, but significantly more resources are needed to address the vast unmet legal needs that exist in Washington. Throughout my career I have worked to support civil legal aid, advocate for more resources, and promote pro bono legal work. I have led pro bono initiatives and projects across Washington and nationally to improve access to justice for immigrant children without access to attorneys, first responders in need of wills/estate planning, and survivors of domestic violence. As the co-chair of the Courts & Community committee for my court, I help lead our community engagement and outreach efforts. We connect with community in a variety of ways to share information about our courts, the constitution, and legal rights. I also serve on the Washington Supreme Court Minority & Justice Commission and work to improve our court rules and laws to expand access to justice
As a Superior Court judge who has presided over complex family law cases, I know there is a need for the Supreme Court to support efforts to create facilitators or navigators for those without an attorney in family law cases, in particular. Our court system needs to do more for language access, but it must also better explain in easy-to-understand ways how to the court works. As a current Superior Court judge, I have the current trial court perspective that is critical to create policies that would work best today in trial courts across the state to advance access to justice.
2. Is Washington relying too much on court fees to cover the cost of operating our judicial system? How do you believe our courts should be funded?
I believe our courts should be funded primarily through direct legislative expenditure. Through my appellate and advocacy work, before becoming a judge, I contributed to cases and reforms to stop the over reliance of court fees on indigent defendants to cover the costs of operating our judicial system. One of those cases was: Wakefield v. City of Kennewick and City of Richland; No. 33100-8-III / No. 33101-6-III (Amicus); Court of Appeals, Division III
While working on this class action case involving a modern-day debtors’ prison in Benton County, I also assisted with an amicus brief in support of Ms. Wakefield’s case. Ms. Wakefield was an indigent woman who had legal financial obligations (LFOs) and could not afford to pay them. Government benefits were her only source of income. I co-authored the amicus brief in support of Ms. Wakefield’s motion for discretionary review, which the Court of Appeals granted. The Supreme Court ultimately granted Ms. Wakefield’s claim consistent with our earlier COA amicus argument. Ms. Wakefield’s case expanded the protection for indigent defendants who have no present or future ability to pay LFOs, specifically when their only income is from social security benefits. This case is significant to me because it allowed me to be a part of a larger effort to confront the criminalization of poverty.
3. Would you, if elected, bring restorative justice as a goal to your court room? If yes, describe how that could look.
I am a member of the Supreme Court Minority and Justice Commission, which recently organized a presentation to judges statewide on restorative justice models in other states and how restorative justice practices were incorporated through legislative statutes. If the legislature decided to incorporate such a legal framework as in other states, that is how an incorporation of a victim-centered legal framework would most likely enter the courtrooms of our state.
4. What ideas can you offer to make our judicial system more open, transparent, and responsive?
Increasing trust in our courts would be one of my primary focuses as a Supreme Court justice. The Court should review ways to expand greater public access to court records, and continue to expand virtual options for court hearings.
5. What are your thoughts on how our courts could permanently incorporate virtual options for court hearings?
I support virtual options for court hearings as a means for access to justice in civil matters. As a result, I have nearly all my civil trials and hearings held virtually. It is also much easier not just for the parties, but also for witnesses. I also perform initial jury selection virtually as well in order to encourage greater participation and jury access and diversity. That is not the case with criminal matters, which I still hold in person, after jury selection.
6. Justice delayed is justice denied, what are your thoughts on how to catch up on the current backlog of cases awaiting trail? Additionally what changes to the current court system would you implement to ensure speedy justice?
As a Justice, I will advocate for additional funding for our trial courts. In many states, equivalent courts have attorney "law clerk" support to assist with preparing cases for the judge's decision-making, expediting resolution of matters and improving the backlog of cases. In Washington, only Court of Appeals judges (and Supreme Court justices) have assistance from attorney law clerks who help them write their opinions. The thousands of court orders that are written by Superior Court trial judges are done exclusively by the judge without the help of law clerks. As a result, this creates a greater backlog, which can be improved through greater investment in resources for more Commissioners and attorney law clerks.
7. What judicial reforms do you support to achieve greater equity and inclusion for BIPOC individuals in our communities?
There are a multitude of things that a judge can do to advance greater equity in our courts. As a Supreme Court justice, I will advocate for greater juror pay as a means to improve jury diversity. Judges should also have ongoing training to better understand their discretion in not imposing LFOs when a person cannot afford the fees. As an attorney, I helped organize the 2017 Supreme Court Symposium to address racial bias in jury selection. This included finding an excluded juror in King County to share her story to the Court about the impact of juror exclusion on the excluded juror, as well as on the accused. This story informed the Court as it subsequently implemented GR 37 to expand Batson protections in our state.
It is the duty of all judges to improve diversity in the legal profession. Judges should regularly mentor and learn from young lawyers, law students, and others to create a more inclusive and welcoming legal system. For example, when Justice Whitener was on Pierce County Superior Court, she obtained a grant from the National Association of Women Judges to host a day-long networking workshop called the “Color of Justice.” The program brought 80 girls to the courthouse to encourage more women of color to become judges and shrink the “gavel gap”. As a Superior Court Judge, I have participated in and supported several similar events and mock trial programs and would continue to do as a justice. Judges should be present in the communities they represent and work to create a justice system that is more accessible and trusted by all, which is why I lead as co-chair the Court and Community Committee for our Court.
By typing my name below, I declare under penalty of perjury the foregoing is true and correct.
Printed Name: Jaime Michelle Hawk
Date: 05/25/2026
