Inslee announces two appointments to Pierce County Superior Court

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Gov. Jay Inslee announced two appointments today to Pierce County Superior Court, Jennifer Andrews and Joseph Evans. Andrews will replace Judge Stephanie Arend, who will retire in mid-September, while Evans replaces Judge Elizabeth Martin, who plans to retire November 1.

Andrews has worked the majority of her career as a family law practitioner. Since 2012, she has been a partner at The Narrows Law Group, formerly Andrews & Arbenz, focusing on all areas of domestic relations. Earlier in her career, she spent over five years as a deputy prosecuting attorney in the Kitsap County Prosecutor’s Office, representing the office’s Child Support Division. And since 2019, Andrews has served as a pro tem commissioner at the Pierce County Superior Court, handling family law matters.

For 15 years, Evans has served as a criminal defense trial attorney with Pierce County’s Department of Assigned Counsel. Since 2019, he has been the department’s juvenile court delinquency supervisor. And over the past year, Evans has served as a project manager for the Pierce County Criminal Justice Task Force, a work group that is reviewing current criminal justice policies and focusing on identifying disparities to improve the justice system. For the last nine months he has also served on the Pierce County Human Resources Diversity Equity and Inclusion Strategic Oversight Committee.

Both Andrews and Evans are active in the community. Since 2019, Andrews has volunteered as a member of the Board of Directors of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Puget Sound. She has served as president of the Pierce County Chapter of Washington Women Lawyers and has worked to mentor young women lawyers. Evans is a member of the Tacoma-Pierce County Black Collective, he’s a past president and board member of the Pierce County Minority Bar Association, and a contributor to the board of Lawyers Against Systemic Racism. Since 2019, Evans has also volunteered with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Puget Sound as a Big Brother mentor for a youth in the area.

“I’m confident that Jennifer and Joe will be fine additions to the Pierce County Superior Court bench,” said Inslee. “They bring diverse professional and personal experiences that will help them navigate the challenges they will soon face as members of the judiciary.”

Andrews earned her bachelor’s degree at Southern Utah University and her law degree at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Evans earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington-Tacoma and his law degree at Seattle University School of Law.

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