Justice G. Helen Whitener was appointed to the Washington State Supreme Court in April 2020. Whitener previously served as a judge on the Pierce County Superior Court and the Washington State Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals and as pro-temjudge in Pierce County District Court and the City of Tacoma Municipal Court. Justice Whitener serves on the board of the International Association of LGBTQ Judges and on the Washington State Office of civil Legal Aid Oversight Committee. She is the first Black woman to serve on the Washington Supreme Court and the first Black LGBTQ+ judge in the state of Washington. She is a recipient of the 2022 Stonewall Award.