Gov. Jay Inslee today appointed Janet Chung to the Court of Appeals, Division One. She will replace Judge Marlin Appelwick, who is retiring today, after 24 years on the bench.
Since 2017, Chung has worked as the advocacy director at Columbia Legal Services, a statewide civil legal aid organization that strives to advance social, economic, and racial equality for people living in poverty. Chung served as legal and legislative counsel at Legal Voice, a public interest legal advocacy organization committed to pursuing justice for women and LGBTQ people in the Northwest through litigation, legislative advocacy, and legal rights education.
Chung has also worked as a legal writing professor at Seattle University School of Law, and as a private sector corporate litigator. Early in her legal career, Chung earned a fellowship with the National Partnership for Women & Families and a judicial clerkship with Judge Lee H. Rosenthal of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas.
Chung is also active in the King County community. She has served as a member of the City of Seattle’s Labor Standards Advisory Commission, the Asian Pacific Islander Americans for Civic Empowerment, and the City of Seattle’s Gender Equity in Pay Task Force. Chung is a daughter of Korean immigrants, a first-generation lawyer, and a proud mother of two sons.
“Janet has devoted her career to serving our most communities furthest from power. She understands the significant challenges that so many underserved Washingtonians face—challenges that often lead them to the justice system,” said Inslee. “I'm proud to appoint to the appellate bench a judge with this experience and perspective.”
Chung earned her bachelor’s degree from Yale University and her law degree from Columbia University School of Law.