Biography
Justice Barbara Madsen currently serves as the 55th Chief Justice of the Washington Supreme Court. Chief Justice Madsen received her undergraduate degree in political science from the University of Washington in 1974 and earned her J.D. from Gonzaga University School of Law in 1977. After completing law school, she worked as a public defender in King and Snohomish counties. In 1982, she joined the Seattle City Attorney’s Office and was appointed Special Prosecutor in 1984. Mayor Charles Royer appointed Justice Madsen in 1988 to the Seattle Municipal Court bench. In 1992, she was elected to the Washington Supreme Court. In 2004, Justice Madsen co-chaired the Crystal Brame Committee which secured legislation requiring all police agencies to adopt investigation protocol for police perpetrated domestic violence. Since 2005, she has led efforts to establish the Initiative for Diversity, a program encouraging legal employers to commit to and implement individual organizational plans to increase diversity. Chief Justice Madsen has chaired the Washington State Gender and Justice Commission since 1998. Most recently the Commission, partnering with other community groups, succeeded in passing legislation banning the shackling of women prisoners during labor. As chief justice, she is committed to continuing the Supreme Court’s long-standing support for access to justice.