Gov. Jay Inslee announced the appointment of Thurston County Superior Court Judge Erik Price to the Court of Appeals, Division Two. Price will replace Judge Lisa L. Sutton, who will retire at the end of September.
Price was first elected to the Thurston County Superior Court in 2012 and has served as the court’s presiding judge since January of 2020. During his tenure, Price served as the chief criminal judge as well as the adult drug and DUI court judge for three years.
Prior to his election to the bench, Price worked the majority of his career focused on civil litigation, administrative law and regulatory law as a partner at Lane Powell PC and the managing partner of the Olympia office. He has also served as a pro tem judge on a panel at Division Two and as the chair of the Thurston County Pretrial Justice Project Policy Team.
In 2020, Price received a community leadership award for his judicial and community leadership during the pandemic. He has also been recognized for outstanding acts of heroism and service to the National Ski Patrol and, since 1998, has served his greater community as a member of the Olympia Chapter of Kiwanis International.
“I’m confident that Judge Price will be a fine addition to the Division Two Court of Appeals,” Inslee said. “He brings deep knowledge of trial court proceedings as well as diverse professional and personal experiences that will help him navigate the new challenges of an appellate judge.”
Price earned both his bachelor’s degree and law degree from the University of Washington.