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Debra Stephens
Debra Leigh Stephens (née Williams; born 1965) is an American lawyer who has served as the chief justice of the Washington Supreme Court since 2025. She previously served as chief justice from 2020 to 2021. She was appointed to the court in December 2007 by Governor Christine Gregoire and took office on January 1, 2008. She was elected by voters in 2008 and re-elected in 2014 and 2020. Prior to her appointment, Stephens served as a judge for Division Three of the Washington Court of Appeals and as an adjunct professor at Gonzaga University School of Law. She is the first judge from Division Three of the Court of Appeals to serve on the Washington State Supreme Court, and the first woman from Eastern Washington to do so. Biography Early life and education Debra Leigh Williams grew up in Spokane, Washington. She graduated from West Valley High School, where she was student body president and a national "Century III Leader." In 2012, she was inducted into its alumni Hall of F ...
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Washington Supreme Court
The Washington Supreme Court is the highest court in the judiciary of the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. The court is composed of a chief justice and eight associate justices. Members of the court are elected to six-year terms. Justices must retire at the end of the calendar year in which they reach the age of 75, per the Constitution of Washington, Washington State Constitution. The chief justice is chosen by secret ballot by the Justices to serve a 4-year term. The current chief justice is Debra Stephens, Debra L. Stephens, who began her term in January 2025. She previously served as Chief Justice from 2019-2020, serving out the remainder of Chief Justice Mary Fairhurst's term when she retired. Prior to January 1997 (pursuant to a Constitutional amendment adopted in 1995), the post of chief justice was held for a 2-year term by a justice who (i) was one of the Justices with 2 years left in their term, (ii) was the most senior in years of service of that coho ...
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Constitution Of Washington
The Constitution of the State of Washington is the document that describes the structure and function of the government of the U.S. State of Washington. The constitution was adopted as part of Washington Territory's path to statehood in 1889. An earlier constitution was drafted and ratified in 1878, but it was never officially adopted. 1878 constitution In 1877 Orange Jacobs, Washington Territory's Delegate to U.S. Congress, requested an enabling act that would allow Washington to become a state as soon as a state constitution was drafted and ratified by the voters. At the same time, an act was passed by the Washington Territorial Legislative Assembly to convene a constitutional convention. Without waiting for action by Congress, Washington's voters elected fifteen delegates who met in Walla Walla in June and July 1878 and drafted a constitution. The voters of the territory approved the constitution in November 1878 with a vote of 6,537 in favor and 3,236 opposed. Congress, h ...
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Living People
Purpose: Because living persons may suffer personal harm from inappropriate information, we should watch their articles carefully. By adding an article to this category, it marks them with a notice about sources whenever someone tries to edit them, to remind them of WP:BLP (biographies of living persons) policy that these articles must maintain a neutral point of view, maintain factual accuracy, and be properly sourced. Recent changes to these articles are listed on Special:RecentChangesLinked/Living people. Organization: This category should not be sub-categorized. Entries are generally sorted by family name In many societies, a surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full name of a person, although several give .... Maintenance: Individuals of advanced age (over 90), for whom there has been no new documentation in the last ten ...
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Lawyers From Spokane, Washington
A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as well as the lawyer's area of practice. In many jurisdictions, the legal profession is divided into various branches — including barristers, solicitors, conveyancers, notaries, canon lawyer — who perform different tasks related to the law. Historically, the role of lawyers can be traced back to ancient civilizations such as Greece and Rome. In modern times, the practice of law includes activities such as representing clients in criminal or civil court, advising on business transactions, protecting intellectual property, and ensuring compliance with laws and regulations. Depending on the country, the education required to become a lawyer can range from completing an undergraduate law degree to undergoing postgraduate education and profes ...
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Justices Of The Washington Supreme Court
''Justice'' (abbreviation: [name], ''J.'' and other variations) is an honorific Style (form of address), style and title traditionally used to describe a jurist who is currently serving or has served on a supreme court or some equal position. In some countries, a justice may have had prior experience as a judge or may have been appointed with no prior judicial experience. It is predominantly used today in the United States to distinguish those who serve on the U.S. Supreme Court from judges who serve on a lower court. Other countries, such as New Zealand and India, similarly use the title as a form of address for members of their highest courts. Etymology The title of ''justice'' is derived from the Latin root ''jus'' (sometimes spelled ''ius'') meaning something which is associated with law or is described as Justice, just. It is different from the word ''judge'' in that different suffixes were added to form both words, and that the usage of the term ''justice'' predates that o ...
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Gonzaga University School Of Law Alumni
Gonzaga may refer to: Places *Gonzaga, Lombardy, commune in the province of Mantua, Italy *Gonzaga, Cagayan, municipality in the Philippines *Gonzaga, Minas Gerais, town in Brazil * Forte Gonzaga, fort in Messina, Sicily Surname *House of Gonzaga, family that ruled Mantua from 1328 to 1708 * Federico II Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua (1500–1540), Italian nobleman * Ercole Gonzaga (1505–1563), Italian cardinal * Pirro Gonzaga (cardinal) (1505–1529) Roman Catholic cardinal and Bishop of Modena * Ferrante Gonzaga (1507-1557), commander-in-chief of the Italian army *Giulia Gonzaga (1513–1566), Italian noblewoman * Vincenzo Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua (1562–1612), Italian nobleman *Aloysius Gonzaga (1568–1591), Italian aristocrat and member of the Society of Jesus *Tomás António Gonzaga (1744– 1810), Portuguese-Brazilian poet *Chiquinha Gonzaga (1847–1935), Brazilian composer * Antonio Gonzaga ( 1875), Argentine chef and cookbook writer *Luiz Gonzaga (1912–1989), Brazilian ...
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Gonzaga University Faculty
Gonzaga may refer to: Places *Gonzaga, Lombardy, commune in the province of Mantua, Italy *Gonzaga, Cagayan, municipality in the Philippines *Gonzaga, Minas Gerais, town in Brazil *Forte Gonzaga, fort in Messina, Sicily Surname *House of Gonzaga, family that ruled Mantua from 1328 to 1708 *Federico II Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua (1500–1540), Italian nobleman *Ercole Gonzaga (1505–1563), Italian cardinal * Pirro Gonzaga (cardinal) (1505–1529) Roman Catholic cardinal and Bishop of Modena *Ferrante Gonzaga (1507-1557), commander-in-chief of the Italian army *Giulia Gonzaga (1513–1566), Italian noblewoman * Vincenzo Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua (1562–1612), Italian nobleman *Aloysius Gonzaga (1568–1591), Italian aristocrat and member of the Society of Jesus *Tomás António Gonzaga (1744– 1810), Portuguese-Brazilian poet *Chiquinha Gonzaga (1847–1935), Brazilian composer *Antonio Gonzaga ( 1875), Argentine chef and cookbook writer *Luiz Gonzaga (1912–1989), Brazilian music ...
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Chief Justices Of The Washington Supreme Court
Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the boat, the senior enlisted sailor on a U.S. Navy submarine * Chief petty officer, a non-commissioned officer or equivalent in many navies * Chief warrant officer, a military rank Other titles * Chief ''x'' officer, a corporate title in the c-suite * Chief of the Name, head of a family or clan in Ireland and Scotland * Chief engineer, the most senior licensed mariner of an engine department on a ship, typically a merchant ship * Chief mate, or Chief officer, the highest senior officer in the deck department on a merchant vessel * Chief of staff, the leader of a complex organization * Fire chief, top rank in a fire department * Scottish clan chief, the head of a Scottish clan * Tribal chief, a leader of a tribal form of government * Chief, ...
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American Women Academics
American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, people who self-identify their ancestry as "American" ** American English, the set of varieties of the English language native to the United States ** Native Americans in the United States, indigenous peoples of the United States * American, something of, from, or related to the Americas, also known as "America" ** Indigenous peoples of the Americas * American (word), for analysis and history of the meanings in various contexts Organizations * American Airlines, U.S.-based airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas * American Athletic Conference, an American college athletic conference * American Recordings (record label), a record label that was previously known as Def American * American University, in Washington, D.C. Sports teams ...
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American Presbyterians
Presbyterianism has had a presence in the United States since colonial times and has exerted an important influence over broader American religion and culture. Throughout US History, Presbyterians have played a prominent role in society. From originally arriving in the new world in the early 1640's, they formed the first Presbytery in 1706 under Rev. Francis Makemie in Philadelphia. Presbyterians largely came from Scotland or Ulster (Northern Ireland today) to the middle colonies, most commonly Pennsylvania. Princeton University was established in 1746 by Presbyterians (Particularly Jonathan Dickinson and Aaron Burr Sr.) to rigorously educate clergymen in alignment to the theology pioneered by William Tennent, and later went on to produce the " Princeton Theologians" such as Charles Hodge. Under the influence of Scottish theologians like Samuel Rutherford, Presbyterians largely believed in the idea that "Resistance to tyranny is obedience to God", as stated first by John ...
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21st-century American Women Judges
File:1st century collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Jesus is crucified by Roman authorities in Judaea (17th century painting). Four different men (Galba, Otho, Vitellius, and Vespasian) claim the title of Emperor within the span of a year; The Great Fire of Rome (18th-century painting) sees the destruction of two-thirds of the city, precipitating the empire's first persecution against Christians, who are blamed for the disaster; The Roman Colosseum is built and holds its inaugural games; Roman forces besiege Jerusalem during the First Jewish–Roman War (19th-century painting); The Trưng sisters lead a rebellion against the Chinese Han dynasty (anachronistic depiction); Boudica, queen of the British Iceni leads a rebellion against Rome (19th-century statue); Knife-shaped coin of the Xin dynasty., 335px rect 30 30 737 1077 Crucifixion of Jesus rect 767 30 1815 1077 Year of the Four Emperors rect 1846 30 3223 1077 Great Fire of Rome rect 30 1108 1106 2155 Boudican revolt ...
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