from debater to Supreme Court Justice

David Postman on the newest member of our state's Supreme Court:

Stephens was appointed by Gov. Chris Gregoire to fill the seat that had been held by Justice Bobbe Bridge. She will have to run for the seat this fall. Stephens was appointed to the Court of Appeals last year and ran unopposed to the full-term last fall.

Stephens took the oath of office Dec. 31 and started officially as the court’s 92nd justice the next day. Today, though, was a formal swearing-in, with remarks from fellow judges, Gregoire, and Stephens herself....

Stephens was a champion debater in school and later a debate coach. She attended Gonzaga for under-grad on a debate scholarship. Words are obviously very important to her. She said today that the justices’ “gift to society, our role, is the written word.” She said the justices are “our culture’s story-tellers.”