Gov. Gregoire appoints Elizabeth Martin to Pierce County Superior Court

For Immediate Release: May 11, 2010

OLYMPIA � Gov. Chris Gregoire today announced the appointment of Elizabeth Martin to the Pierce County Superior Court. Since 1983, Martin has been an attorney at Gordon Thomas Honeywell LLP in Tacoma.

�Elizabeth�s tenure at Gordon Thomas Honeywell is not only a testament to her legal experience, it also shows her commitment to the Pierce County area,� Gregoire said. �She cares deeply for the law and her community. I am confident she will bring the highest level of integrity and fairness to this new role.�

�I am deeply honored and humbled to have been selected to fill Judge Worswick's position on the Superior Court bench,� said Martin. "I will bring to this position my unwavering commitment to work hard, to respect the law and to treat everyone who walks into my courtroom with the utmost dignity and fairness. I appreciate greatly the confidence and trust that Governor Gregoire has placed in me and I look forward with enthusiasm and energy to joining my colleagues on the bench as we work together to serve the citizens of Pierce County.�

�Elizabeth has a keen mind, an empathetic heart, and a passion for the law,� said Federal District Court Judge Ronald B. Leighton of Tacoma. �She is a wonderful choice.�

During her time at Gordon Thomas Honeywell, Martin represented both plaintiffs and defendants in a wide range of civil matters, including labor and employment law, personal injury, and products liability.

�Elizabeth will bring to the bench the litigator's knowledge that spans almost three decades, the experience of being a partner in a law firm, and the skills of a mediator who has helped adverse parties reach out to find common ground,� said Salvador Mungia, a partner at Gordon Thomas Honeywell who serves as president of the Washington State Bar Association. �She has been involved in the community, her church, and as a mother who puts her children first. Governor Gregoire, by making this appointment, has once again strengthened not only our local bench, but the local community as well."

From 2003 to 2008 Martin also served as a pro tem judge for the Pierce County Superior Court, where she presided over jury and bench trials. She has served as a mediator in state and federal courts, and is a volunteer mediator for the Pierce County Dispute Resolution Center.

Prior to joining Gordon Thomas Honeywell, Martin was a judicial clerk for Washington State Supreme Court Justice Charles Stafford.

Martin is a regular volunteer for the YMCA Youth in Government mock trial competition. She has also served as a member of the Tacoma Art Museum Activities Council, and as an elder at her church.

Martin earned a bachelor�s degree in American studies from the College of Idaho before attending the Willamette University College of Law. Her appointment to Department 16 of the Pierce County Superior Court will be effective later this month.

Gregoire also announced today the appointment of Ed Murphy to Department 9 of the Pierce County Superior Court.