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All Skagit County Superior Court judges are women for first time
For the first time in Skagit County history, all four Superior Court judges are women, marking a milestone in the local judiciary.
SKAGIT COUNTY, Wash. - For more than a hundred years, the Skagit County Courthouse has stood tall in Mount Vernon. Now, more history is being created inside of the building.
For the first time in Skagit County, all four Superior Court judges are women. Meet Skagit County Superior Court Judge Laura Riquelme, Judge Elizabeth Neidzwski, Judge Heather Shand, and Judge Mary Crandall.
"It’s definitely an interesting evolution having worked with all men, and now it’s just over time there have been more women joining the team," Judge Riquelme said.
They told FOX 13, this isn’t something they often think about on a day-to-day basis.
Skagit County Superior Court judges
"We’re all here to serve the citizens of Skagit County and do the best job we can for them on an everyday basis," Judge Shand said.
However, Judge Neidzwski added, it can be surreal at times.
"Just being on the bench with women I’ve known for quite a while and women that I’ve worked with, worked against and seen them as lawyers, as judges, it feels like a tremendous honor to be here and to be serving our community," Judge Neidzwski said.
When you step into courtroom two at the Skagit County Superior Court, history is on the walls. Photographs of judges past and present, beginning in 1891, surround the courtroom. Many of the photos are of men, that is until 1997, when now retired Judge Susan Cook became the first female superior court judge in Skagit County.
"I had to be extra careful and work harder, just because if I failed it would set back the progress of women here in the judiciary here for some time," Judge Cook said.
FOX 13 talked with her in the courtroom she once served in. "It brings back a lot of wonderful memories," she said.
Dig deeper:
Judge Cook added, it wasn’t that long ago when the Bar Association didn’t have a single female member. In fact, she referenced a photo of the members of the Bar Association from 1977. "There is not a female face in that group, not one," Judge Cook said.
Which is why she takes so much pride in seeing four women on the bench in Skagit County today. "I’m so proud of them, they are wonderful judicial officers, they are wonderful strong women," Judge Cook said.
"My career was built around watching examples like Judge Cook, who inspired me to dream big and to work toward a career on the bench," Judge Crandall said.
As we celebrate Women’s History Month, the judges have some advice for the next generation.
What they're saying:
"Be unafraid and go for it, you can take yourself as far as you’re willing to work for it," Judge Crandall said.
"Even if you’re afraid, do it anyway," Judge Neidzwski said. "Have the confidence to know that you belong here."
"Hopefully it’ll be less than the barriers that Judge Cook faced, that we faced. Don’t get discouraged and keep fighting and dream big," Judge Shand said.
"There will always be new doors to open, new ceilings to break, but there is a lot more acceptance than there had been," Judge Riquelme said.
Local perspective:
Judge Cook adds, you don't have to go to the big city to see progress in motion.
"You would expect that something like this would happen in an urban environment, that maybe cities would be receptive to this kind of thing, but here we are in lil' old Skagit County, and it’s happening right here," Judge Cook said.
"It takes a lot of hard work, and it takes a lot of heart, and we all give the hard work and heart every day when we come into this building," Judge Shand said.
"I think, all four of us, we try to make thoughtful and well-reasoned decisions, and it’s truly an honor to do that for Skagit County," Judge Neidzwski said.
While the judges celebrate the fact that they’re all women on the bench, they do believe more diversity is still needed in the courthouse, and understand the journey is not over.
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