Judge Sharonda Amamilo | for Washington Supreme Court

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WE GOT IT.

Sharonda Amamilo has spent her career in places most people never see: public defense offices, military intelligence units, family courts. Places where the most difficult decisions have to be made. She knows how difficult the legal system is to navigate, and what it costs people when it fails them.

Before the bench, Sharonda spent twelve years at the Thurston County Office of Public Defense, representing adults and children in criminal, juvenile, and dependency matters. She has seen firsthand what happens when someone walks into a courtroom with no idea what they're up against. She also served over 25 years in U.S. Army military intelligence, retiring as a Chief Warrant Officer. Her work there as an Intelligence Oversight Officer required precise written analysis under pressure.

Today, Judge Amamilo serves on the Thurston County Superior Court, where voters elected her in 2020, making her the first person of color to hold this seat. Her docket has run from felony trials and complex civil disputes to dependency hearings and family law. As a Judge Pro Tempore on the Washington Court of Appeals, she also handles full record review and appellate deliberation alongside her Superior Court duties.

Sharonda has called Washington home since 1992. She and her husband of 28 years raised seven children here, and they now have six grandchildren. She earned her B.S. from Southern Illinois University, her MBA from Saint Martin's College, and her J.D. from Seattle University School of Law.

Washington's court system does not work the same for everyone. In one county, people have reliable access to legal resources, clear processes, and courts they understand how to use. In another, those tools don't exist. The difference can determine the outcome of a custody case, a criminal charge, or any other matter that can drastically change people's lives.

Judge Amamilo has seen this from every angle. As a public defender, as a trial judge, and as someone who grew up in the rural South and understands what it means to move through institutions that weren't built with you in mind.

She has two priorities in mind for her time at the Supreme Court. The first is strengthening consistency and access across Washington's 39 counties. The second is protecting children and families in the dependency and foster care system, where the law is technical, the stakes are the highest they get, and the consequences follow families for generations.

Sharonda's local court experience gives her something many superior court judges don't have: a real understanding of where the system breaks down and why.

APPELLATE WORK
Judge Amamilo’s appellate and review experience includes service as a Judge Pro Tempore on the Washington Court of Appeals, Division II, conducting full record review, statutory interpretation, legal analysis, and collaborative panel deliberation.

Since her election to the Thurston County Superior Court in 2020, she has also presided over lower court appeals and Administrative Procedure Act reviews of state agency decisions, including matters with statewide impact involving taxation, environmental regulation, and public systems accountability. Her work requires careful application of precedent, detailed record review, and clear written and oral decision-making affecting courts, agencies, and communities across Washington.