Colleen Melody
American judge (born 1981 or 1982)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Colleen M. Melody (born 1982[1]) is a justice of the Washington Supreme Court.[2]
Colleen Melody | |
|---|---|
| Justice of the Washington Supreme Court | |
| Assumed office January 1, 2026 | |
| Appointed by | Bob Ferguson |
| Preceded by | Mary Yu |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1982 (age 43–44) Spokane, Washington, U.S. |
| Education | University of Washington (BA, JD) |
Early Life and education
Melody is a native of Spokane, Washington.[1] She received her undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Washington and graduated first in her law school class.[3]
Career
After law school, Melody served as a law clerk to Ninth Circuit judge Ronald M. Gould.[4] Melody began her legal career at the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, then returned to Washington to lead the state Attorney General’s Wing Luke Civil Rights Division.[5] As an Assistant Attorney General, Melody helped lead Washington’s successful challenge to Executive Order 13769, President Donald Trump’s first “Muslim ban."[6][7]
Appointment to Washington Supreme Court
In 2025, associate justice Mary Yu announced that she would retire at the end of that year.[8] Governor Bob Ferguson appointed Melody to fill Yu’s seat through the November 2026 general election, when voters will determine who will serve out the remainder of Yu’s term.[3] Melody has not previously served as a judge.[9]