[Article Sharing] WA Supreme Court elections make for momentous primary

(August 6, 2026) – This Seattle Times article highlights some of the Washington Appellate Project’s greatest wins in the context of this year’s primary election, where five positions in the WA Supreme Court were on the ballot.

“This fall’s election results could chart a new path for the court, which in recent years has often moved aggressively, and often faster than the state Legislature, on some high profile issues. It declared both the death penalty and the state’s drug possession law unconstitutional and it has made significant changes to court rules to try to stamp out racial bias.“

 

Read the article here: WA Supreme Court elections make for momentous primary

Interested in reading more about WAP’s monumental cases?

State v. Gregory – WAP Attorney Lila Silverstein and co-counsel Neil Fox won State v. Gregory in 2018, where the WA Supreme Court ruled the death penalty as unconstitutional. In 2020, Lila and Neil were recognized by the ACLU and WSBA for their work. The death penalty language was officially struck from our statutes in 2023.

State v. Blake – WAP Attorney Richard Lechich won State v. Blake in 2021, decriminalizing unknowning drug possession. Although Shannon Blake (aka Shannon Bowman) sadly passed away in 2023, her appeal continued to change lives and give people across the state a second chance.

GR 37 & Batson reform – Lila Silverstein has also been leading the fight against racial bias in our juries. She wrote significant portions of GR 37, which protects against racial bias in jury selection. GR 37 was adopted by the WA Supreme Court in 2018. Lila has continued to teach in classrooms and symposiums around the nation, educating others about GR 37 and Batson reform.