Mary Fairhurst

Mary Elizabeth Fairhurst (August 13, 1957 — December 28, 2021) was an American attorney and jurist who served as a justice and chief justice of the Washington Supreme Court.

Early life and education

A native of Olympia, Washington, Fairhurst earned her undergraduate degree in political science from Gonzaga University in 1979, graduating cum laude. In 1984, she earned her Juris Doctor from Gonzaga University School of Law, graduating magna cum laude.

Fairhurst served as the president of the Washington State Bar Association. She also served on the Bar Board of Governors representing Washington's 3rd congressional district and as the President of the Washington Women Lawyers.

In October 2018, Fairhurst wrote the majority opinion on a ruling to abolish state's death penalty. In 2019, Fairhurst received the American Inns of Court Professionalism Award for the Ninth Circuit at the Judicial Conference of the Ninth Circuit in Spokane, Washington.

Retirement and death In October 2019, Fairhurst announced that she would retire from the court in January 2020, citing health concerns. On December 4, 2019, Governor Jay Inslee nominated Raquel Montoya-Lewis to succeed Fairhurst. Montoya-Lewis is the first Native American to serve on the Washington Supreme Court.

In 2020, Fairhurst received the Charles A. Goldmark Distinguished Service Award. On August 22, 2020, Fairhurst became the seventh Lynn Allen Award recipient.

Fairhurst died from cancer in Olympia, Washington, on December 28, 2021, at the age of 64. She had been treated for colon cancer starting in 2008.