OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) – Pierce County Superior Court Judge G. Helen Whitener was appointed Monday by Gov. Jay Inlsee to the Washington Supreme Court.

Whitener has served on the superior court since being appointed by Inslee in 2015, and previously served as a judge on the Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals.

Before becoming a judge, she worked as both a prosecutor and defense attorney.

She replaces Justice Charles Wiggins, who retired from the court at the end of last month.

She will have to run in the November election to maintain the seat, and then again in 2022, when Wiggins’ term would have ended.

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