Debra L. Stephens

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title: "Debra L. Stephens" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1965-births", "21st-century-american-judges", "21st-century-american-women-judges", "american-presbyterians", "american-women-academics", "chief-justices-of-the-washington-supreme-court", "gonzaga-university-faculty", "gonzaga-university-school-of-law-alumni", "justices-of-the-washington-supreme-court", "lawyers-from-spokane,-washington", "living-people", "politicians-from-spokane,-washington", "women-chief-justices-of-state-supreme-courts-in-the-united-states"] description: "American judge (born 1965)" topic_path: "law" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debra_L._Stephens" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American judge (born 1965) ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox officeholder"]

Field	Value
name	Debra Stephens
office	Chief Justice of the Washington Supreme Court
term_start	January 13, 2025
predecessor	Steven González
term_start1	January 5, 2020
term_end1	January 11, 2021
predecessor1	Mary Fairhurst
successor1	Steven González
office2	Justice of the Washington Supreme Court
appointer2	Christine Gregoire
term_start2	January 1, 2008
predecessor2	Bobbe Bridge
birth_name	Debra Leigh Williams
birth_date
birth_place	Spokane, Washington, U.S.
spouse
children	2
education	Gonzaga University (BA, JD)
::

|name = Debra Stephens |office = Chief Justice of the Washington Supreme Court |term_start = January 13, 2025 |term_end = |predecessor = Steven González |successor = |term_start1 = January 5, 2020 |term_end1 = January 11, 2021 |predecessor1 = Mary Fairhurst |successor1 = Steven González |office2 = Justice of the Washington Supreme Court |appointer2 = Christine Gregoire |term_start2 = January 1, 2008 |term_end2 = |predecessor2 = Bobbe Bridge |successor2 = |birth_name = Debra Leigh Williams |birth_date = |birth_place = Spokane, Washington, U.S. |death_date = |death_place = |spouse = |children = 2 |education = Gonzaga University (BA, JD) Debra Leigh Stephens (; 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 Fame. She graduated from Gonzaga University and taught speech communication and coached the debate team at Spokane Falls Community College before entering Gonzaga University School of Law as a Thomas More Scholar. She earned her J.D. degree with honors, graduating summa cum laude in 1993.

Career

After completing law school, Stephens served as a staff attorney for the Honorable Frederick L. Van Sickle, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington from 1993 to 1995. Stephens then went into private practice. From 1995 until April 2007 she helped coordinate the Amicus Curiae Program of the Washington State Trial Lawyers Association Foundation. She also taught federal and state constitutional law, community property, appellate advocacy, and legal research and writing as an adjunct professor for Gonzaga University School of Law.

In 2007, she was appointed and then elected as a judge for Division Three of the Washington Court of Appeals. Judge Stephens was then appointed to the Washington State Supreme Court effective January 1, 2008. She was then elected in 2008 to the Washington Supreme Court and re-elected in 2014.

In October 2018, Stephens concurred when the majority abolished the state's death penalty because they found its racist imposition violated the Constitution of Washington.

On November 6, 2019, Stephens was unanimously selected to be the next Chief Justice of the Washington Supreme Court, following the retirement of Mary Fairhurst.

Stephens was re-elected as an associate justice in 2020 unopposed. She was succeeded as Chief Justice by Steven González on January 11, 2021.

Marriage and children

Stephens and her husband, Craig, have been married since 1989, and have two children.

References

References

1. (November 8, 2024). "Next Chief Justice".
2. Roesler, Richard. (2007-12-04). "Local judge named to state's high court". Spokane Spokesman-Review.
3. "Washington State Courts - Supreme Court Bios - Justice Debra L. Stephens".
4. "Washington State Courts - Supreme Court Bios - Justice Debra L. Stephens".
5. "Washington State Courts - Washington Court News".
6. Note. (2019). "Recent Case: Washington State Supreme Court Declares Death Penalty Unconstitutional In Washington". [[Harvard Law Review.
7. {{cite court. (2018). link
8. (November 6, 2019). "Debra Stephens elected as next chief justice of state Supreme Court".
9. Wyman, Kim. (December 1, 2020). "Canvass of the Returns of the General Election Held on November 3, 2020". [[Secretary of State of Washington]].
10. "Washington State Courts - News, Reports, Court Information".

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