Justice Barbara Madsen

Former public defender Barbara Madson has been named Chief Justice of the Washington Supreme Court.  She has served on the court for 16 years and will be the third woman to hold this position.  She  will succeed the court’s longest serving Chief Justice Gary Alexander.

A local product, Justice Madson wass born in 1952 in Renton, Washington.  She graduated from the Universtiy of Washington and attended law school at Gonzaga University.  After passing the bar she worked as a public defender in King and Snohomish Counties before moving on to the Seattle City Attorneys office.  In 1998, Justice Madsen was appointed to the Seattle Municipal Court bench.

For more infomation on Justice Madsen you can check out her biography on the Washington Courts site and the Washington State Supreme Court Blog has compiled a list of some of her more notable decisions.