Inslee appoints new judges to Pierce County Superior Court to replace retiring jurists
Gov. Jay Inslee has appointed two new judges to the Pierce County Superior Court bench, his office said Tuesday.
Family law attorney Jennifer Andrews will replace Judge Stephanie Arend and defense attorney Joseph Evans will replace Judge Elizabeth Martin, the Governor’s Office said in a news release.
Arend has been on the bench since 1999 and plans to retire next month. Martin has been on the bench since 2010 and plans to retire in November.
“I’m confident that Jennifer and Joe will be fine additions to the Pierce County Superior Court bench,” Inslee said in the news release. “They bring diverse professional and personal experiences that will help them navigate the challenges they will soon face as members of the judiciary.”
Andrews has been a partner at The Narrows Law Group since 2012. She also worked as a prosecutor for five years in the Kitsap County Prosecutor’s Office Child Support Division. She has overseen family law cases in Pierce County Superior Court as a pro tem commissioner for several years. She has a bachelor’s degree from Southern Utah University and a law degree from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Andrews has been president of the Pierce County Chapter of Washington Women Lawyers, has mentored other attorneys and is part of the Board of Directors of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Puget Sound.
Evans has been with the Pierce County Department of Assigned Counsel for 15 years, the last several as the juvenile court delinquency supervisor.
He’s also recently been part of the Pierce County Human Resources Diversity Equity and Inclusion Strategic Oversight Committee and the Pierce County Criminal Justice Task Force, which is reviewing criminal justice polices and looking at disparities. He has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington-Tacoma and a law degree from Seattle University School of Law.
Evans is part of the Tacoma-Pierce County Black Collective, board of Lawyers Against Systemic Racism, has been president and board member of the Pierce County Minority Bar Association, and is a mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Puget Sound.
