Steven Gonzalez

Steven Charles Gonzalez (born 1963) is an American lawyer and judge who has served as an Associate Justice of the Washington Supreme Court since January 1, 2012. Gonzalez replaced Justice Gerry L. Alexander who retired following reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75.

Biography

Born and raised in California, Gonzalez descended on his father's side from refugees from the Mexican Revolution while his maternal ancestors immigrated at the turn of the 20th Century through Ellis Island from eastern Europe. Gonzalez was raised by his mother, who is Jewish,^[1] and for a time his paternal grandmother cleaned the dorms at his alma mater.

Gonzalez graduated with Honors from Pitzer College in Claremont, California with a Bachelor of Arts in East Asian Studies in 1985. He worked as a paralegal in Century City after graduation from college. He then received a scholarship from Rotary International to study international trade in Japan for 21 months. Following his study at Hokkaido University in Japan, he enrolled at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law where he met his wife, Michelle Gonzalez. Upon graduation in 1991, Gonzalez passed the Washington State bar exam and was admitted to practice in November 1991.

Gonzalez speaks English, Japanese, Spanish and some Chinese.

After a career in private practice, Gonzalez served as an Assistant City Attorney for the City of Seattle where he prosecuted domestic violence cases including cases of elder and child abuse. He then served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington from 1997 to 2002. In March 2002 Governor Gary Locke appointed him as a King County Superior Court Judge. He won a contested primary that September, and was re-elected unopposed to four year terms in 2004 and 2008.^[2]

Gonzalez's cousin is musician Ben Harper.

References