Judge Mary Yu volunteered her time to marry the first same-sex couple in Washington State, Sarah and Emily Cofer, at 12:01 a.m. on Dec. 9, 2012. It was her day off from the bench, but she wouldn't have missed her midnight-to-seven a.m. shift for the world.
"Once the right to marry became legal in Washington State for all couples, I felt no one should have to wait a minute longer and so I made myself available to anyone who wanted to get married," recalled Yu. "We were surprised at the enthusiasm and presided over marriages throughout the night. It was a very exciting moment for the couples."
Fast forward to April 18, 2014: Yu is being considered to fill the Washington State Supreme Court vacancy left by Justice Jim Johnson, expected to retire April 30. There are 20 other applicants. Gov. Jay Inslee will likely make his decision this week. If appointed, Yu would become the first LGBT justice on the Supreme Court and the first Asian-American and woman of color as well. However, she would have no time to rest on her laurels; Yu would have to conduct a quick turnaround to retain the seat in November.
Yu would come to the Supreme Court with 14 years of trial-court experience. The Chicago-bred daughter to first generation immigrants—her mother is Mexican and her father is Chinese—has attempted this position before, in 2007, but was not chosen for the seat.
Yu has stated that if appointed she would run a competitive statewide campaign to retain the opportunity to serve on the court in Olympia.
"I can't think of anyone more deserving of appointment and election to the Washington Supreme Court than Judge Yu," said fellow King County Superior Court Judge Dean S. Lum. "Gov. Inslee has an opportunity to make history for not only the fast-growing API community, but all Washingtonians."
"The state Supreme Court is the highest court in our state. There is no more important judicial appointment that the Governor makes than this," Judge Anne Levinson ( ret. ) told The Seattle Lesbian. "The Court rules on a wide range of critically important issues that affect every person, business and government jurisdiction across the state. The cases that come before the State Supreme Court could involve a state voter initiative, whether the State is meeting its paramount duty to fund public education, whether criminal conviction should be upheld or whether a law is discriminatory. For state issues, they are the final decision-makers on whether a law is constitutional. This the court that in 2006 decided 5-4 against marriage equality."
Levinson added, "Judge Yu not only has a stellar record as a trial court judge, but has also devoted her time off the bench to improving access to justice for all communities and mentoring the next generation of attorneys. When we were poised to have same-sex weddings begin in our state, she was the first judge I called and without hesitation she volunteered to start officiating at midnight that Sunday and went until 7 a.m. that morning so that couples would not have to wait a day longer to get married. Some of the first couples to get married in the months that followed were couples for whom she had presided over their adoptions in past years. It meant everything to them that she would officiate."
"She is a community leader that is active and engaged," said former City of Seattle Councilwoman Martha Choe. "She is highly regarded by the attorneys in her courtroom, as well as her peers. She is also highly rated by bar associations and kept in high regard by the Washington State Bar Association."
The article originally appeared at theseattlelesbian.com/judge-mary-yu-poised-to-become-first-woman-of-color-member-of-lgbt-community-appointed-to-wa-state-supreme-court/ .
