Sal Mungia | |
|---|---|
| Associate Justice of the Washington Supreme Court | |
| Assumed office January 15, 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Susan Owens |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Salvador Alejo Mungia II February 19,1959 Lakewood,Washington,U.S. |
| Education | Pacific Lutheran University (BA) Georgetown University (JD) |
Salvador Alejo Mungia II (born February 19,1959) [1] [2] is an American lawyer who has served as a justice of the Washington Supreme Court since 2025.
Mungia was born in Lakewood,Washington. [3] He graduated from Clover Park High School in 1977 he attended Pacific Lutheran University,graduating in 1981. [4] He graduated from Georgetown University Law Center in 1984. [4] [3]
After graduating law school,Mungia clerked for Washington Supreme Court Justice Fred H. Dore and then U.S. District Court Judge Carolyn Dimmick. [3] In 1986,he joined Gordon Thomas Honeywell in Tacoma where he specialized in civil trial and appellate law,including medical malpractice,injury,and business law. [5] [6] He has argued appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court. [7]
Mungia worked with a group of lawyers who proposed a judicial rule to help stop racial discrimination in jury selection,which the Washington Supreme Court adopted in 2018. [3] He has worked with the American Civil Liberties Union,providing pro bono work to incarcerated individuals and tenants in disputes with their landlords. [3]
In 2024,Justice Susan Owens retired from the Supreme Court due to the state constitution that requires justices to retire at the end of the year they turn 75. [3] It was the first State Supreme court election in 12 years without an incumbent running for reelection. [7] In the primary election,Mungia came in first among four candidates,with 43.43%,and Federal Way Municipal Court judge Dave Larson came in second,with 36.45%. [8]
Although a nonpartisan election,Mungia was endorsed by Democrats,while Larson was endorsed by the State Republican party. [7] He outraised Larson,$525,000 to $175,000,with most of Mungia's donations coming from democratic or progressive sources. [9] Mungia won the general election,winning by a close margin,50.05% to 49.44%. [10] [11]
Mungia is a child of immigrant parents;his father is from Mexico,and his mother is from Japan. [6] He is single and has three adult children,one child in school and one grandchild. [4]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Non partisan | Sal Mungia | 1,644,253 | 50.05 | |
| Non partisan | Dave Larson | 1,624,309 | 49.44 | |
| Write-in | 16,654 | 0.51 | ||
| Total votes | 3,285,216 | 100.00 | ||