Mary Yu | |
---|---|
Associate Justice of the Washington Supreme Court | |
Assumed office May 20, 2014 | |
Appointed by | Jay Inslee |
Preceded by | James M. Johnson |
Judge of the King County Superior Court | |
In office 2000 –May 20,2014 | |
Appointed by | Gary Locke |
Preceded by | Janice Niemi |
Succeeded by | Samuel Chung |
Personal details | |
Born | Mary Isabel Yu [1] 1957 (age 65–66) [1] Chicago,Illinois |
Alma mater | Dominican University (BA) Loyola University Chicago (MA) University of Notre Dame (JD) |
Mary Isabel Yu (born 1957) is an American jurist and Associate Justice of the Washington Supreme Court and former judge of the King County Superior Court. She is the state's first openly gay,Asian American,and Latina Justice. She is also the 6th woman currently serving and the 11th woman ever to serve on Washington state's Supreme Court. [2]
Yu was born in Chicago,Illinois to a Chinese father and Mexican mother. [3] She graduated from St. Mary's High School in 1975. [4] Yu then attended Dominican University and graduated in 1979 with a degree in theology. [4] In 1989,Yu earned a graduate degree in theology from Mundelein of Loyola University. [4]
After completing her undergraduate education,Yu went to work for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago. [5] She was initially hired by Rev. Francis J. Kane as a secretary for the Office of Peace and Justice for the Archdiocese of Chicago,but eventually rose to become director of the Office of Peace and Justice. [4] [6]
Yu enrolled at Notre Dame Law School in 1990. [6] She graduated with her J.D. degree in 1993. [4]
In 1999,King County Prosecuting Attorney Norm Maleng named Yu as his deputy chief of staff. [3]
In 2000,Washington Governor Gary Locke appointed Yu to replace retiring judge Janice Niemi on the King County Superior Court. [7]
Yu was considered a leading contender to replace Justice Bobbe Bridge on the Washington Supreme Court when Bridge retired in December 2007. [8] Ultimately,Governor Christine Gregoire appointed Debra L. Stephens to fill the vacancy. [8]
On December 9,2012,at midnight,Mary Yu officiated the first same-sex marriages in Washington state. [9] Judge Yu's name (coincidentally pronounced as "marry you") was deemed "the perfect name for the job" by The Stranger columnist Dominic Holden. [10]
On May 1,2014,Judge Yu was appointed by Washington Governor Jay Inslee to the Washington Supreme Court,making her the first openly LGBTQ member of the court,in addition to the first Latina-American and Asian-American. [11] She is the 11th woman to serve on the Washington Supreme Court (and one of six currently serving),the first person of Asian descent,the third person of Hispanic descent,and the first Hispanic woman. [12] Yu,who is openly gay,is also the first LGBT person to hold this position. [13] Yu is one of ten LGBT state supreme court justices currently serving in the United States.
She was sworn in on May 20,2014 as an associate justice of the Washington Supreme Court. [14] [15] Justice Yu ran unopposed in 2015 to complete the term and was the highest vote getter in the State. [16] Justice Yu was subsequently elected to the Supreme Court for a six-year term in 2016.
In October 2018,Yu joined the majority when the court abolished the state's death penalty because they found its racist imposition violated the Constitution of Washington. [17] [18]
Yu resides in Seattle and in Olympia. [19] On March 16,2021,she appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! where she was recognized for the appropriateness of her name as she also is a frequent wedding officiant. [20] On May 24,2022,she threw the ceremonial first pitch for a game between the Seattle Mariners and Oakland Athletics. [21]
Yu is a Distinguished Jurist in Residence at Seattle University School of Law. [22] In 1984,Yu received the Caritas Veritas award from Dominican University,as an alumna exemplifying a search for truth through charity or service. [23]
The 2004 Washington gubernatorial election was held on November 2,2004. The race gained national attention for its legal twists and extremely close finish,among the closest political races in United States election history. Republican Dino Rossi was declared the winner in the initial automated count and again in a subsequent automated recount,but after a second recount done by hand,Democrat Christine Gregoire took the lead by a margin of 129 votes.
Andersen v. King County,138 P.3d 963,formerly Andersen v. Sims,is a Washington Supreme Court case in which eight lesbian and gay couples sued King County and the state of Washington for denying them marriage licenses under the state's 1998 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA),which defined marriage as between a man and a woman. The court ruled that banning same-sex marriage is constitutional since the legislature could reasonably believe it furthers the government interest in promoting procreation.
Same-sex marriage in Washington has been legally recognized since December 6,2012. On February 13,2012,Governor Christine Gregoire signed legislation that established full marriage rights for same-sex couples in the state of Washington. Opponents mounted a challenge that required voters to approve the statute at a referendum,which they did on November 6. The law took effect on December 6,and the first marriages were celebrated on December 9. Within a couple of days,more than 600 marriage licenses were issued to same-sex couples in King County alone.
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Lesbian,gay,bisexual,and transgender (LGBT) rights in the U.S. state of Washington have evolved significantly since the late 20th century. Same-sex sexual activity was legalized in 1976. LGBT people are fully protected from discrimination in the areas of employment,housing and public accommodations;the state enacting comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation regarding sexual orientation and gender identity in 2006. Same-sex marriage has been legal since 2012,and same-sex couples are allowed to adopt. Conversion therapy on minors has also been illegal since 2018.
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