Raquel Montoya-Lewis. Photo from Window / Western Washington University

The first Native American judge in Whatcom County, Washington, will be sworn into office this Friday.

Raquel Montoya-Lewis, 46, is from Laguna Pueblo and Isleta Pueblo in New Mexico. She was appointed by Gov. Jay Inslee (D) and will be the only superior court judge of Native descent in the entire state.

“I’m really excited and honored to serve Whatcom County in this role,” Montoya-Lewis told The Bellingham Herald last month. She previously served as judge for the Nooksack Tribe and the Upper Skagit Tribe.

Inslee will be attending the swearing-in ceremony, the paper said. "Raquel’s 15 years of experience as a judge will be well appreciated on the Superior Court,” the governor said in a press release.

Get the Story:
Whatcom County’s first Native American judge to be sworn in Friday (The Bellingham Herald 1/14)
Whatcom’s new Superior Court judge has tribal background (The Bellingham Herald 12/15)