Gov. Jay Inslee today announced the appointments of Sandy Widlan and Michael R.Scott to the King County Superior Court. Widlan replaces Judge Mariane Spearman and Scott replaces Judge Jeffrey Ramsdell, both of whom are retiring.
Widlan is a litigation attorney with Schroeter Goldmark & Bender in Seattle. Before that, she served as a public defender for The Defender Association and as a law clerk for Chief Justice Barbara Durham of the Washington State Supreme Court.
She has served on the board of directors for Washington Access Fund, Seattle Community Law Center and Kol-Haneshamah Synagogue. She has participated in the legal clinic at El Centro de la Raza and was the co-chair of the Civil Rights Law Section at the Washington State Bar Association.
She received the 2018 Outstanding Attorney Award from the Latina/o Bar Association of Washington.
"Sandy is a great litigator and has worked to protect vulnerable populations throughout her career,” Inslee said. “She has demonstrated a strong commitment to the community and I look forward to her contributions on the bench."
Widlan received her law degree from New York University, where she was the recipient of the Arthur Garfield Hays Civil Liberties Fellowship. She received her bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University.
Scott is chair of the Hillis Clark Martin & Peterson P.S. Litigation Group. He also serves as a court-appointed arbitrator and mediator.
He represented the plaintiffs in Ingersoll vs. Arlene’s Flowers before the Washington State Supreme Court, a case holding that anti-discrimination and consumer protection laws were violated. Scott has litigated other commercial and contract disputes involving trademark and copyright infringement, software quality, employment discrimination, product liability and environmental litigation.
Scott is a Bainbridge City Council member, a board member for the Kitsap Economic Development Alliance, a member of Puget Sound Regional Council Growth Management Policy Board and a member of the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency Advisory Council.
"Mike has taken on some very difficult and important cases,” Inslee said. “He has a varied legal career and consistently demonstrated his commitment to community and equality."
He received the King County Bar Association President’s Award and Seattle Business Magazine Community Impact Award, both in 2015.
Scott received his law degree from Stanford University where he also received two bachelor's degrees.
Both appointments are effective in April.