November 28, 2025

State Supreme Court

Melody

Gov. Bob Ferguson made his first appointment to the Washington State Supreme Court on Monday, announcing that civil rights attorney Colleen Melody will replace retiring Justice Mary Yu. Melody will succeed Justice Yu following her retirement at the end of the year. “I have had the good fortune of knowing Justice Yu very well for a long time,” Ferguson said. “Justice Yu is a historic figure in our state and a trailblazer in many ways. She leaves an impressive legacy and very big shoes to fill on this Court.” Melody attended the University of Washington and the UW School of Law, where she graduated first in her class. Melody spent four years with the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division in Washington, D.C., investigating and litigating federal civil rights cases. Her work earned her the U.S. Attorney General’s Award for Outstanding New Employee and the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights’ Special Commendation for Outstanding Service. In 2015, then Attorney General Ferguson hired her to lead the Washington State Attorney General’s Wing Luke Civil Rights Division. Melody presided over the division’s growth to 35 lawyers, investigators and professional staff, while also leading some of its most significant cases. Melody has also practiced before the Washington State Supreme Court. She was awarded the Legal Foundation of Washington’s Charles A. Goldmark Distinguished Service Award in 2018, and the American Immigration Lawyers Association Jack Wasserman Memorial Award in 2017. She received the Steward of Justice Award, the Attorney General’s highest honor, in 2018.