Gov. Inslee on Friday, December 19, announced the appointment of Veronica Alicea Galván to the King County Superior Court. Galván’s term begins in January and will replace Judge Greg Canova, who announced his retirement this winter.
Galván is currently the Presiding Judge on the Des Moines Municipal Court, where she operates a dual language courtroom, allowing cases to be heard in Spanish, a primary language for many residents in the area. Galván is also an adjunct instructor at the Seattle University School of Law, where she teaches a continuing legal educational program emphasizing multilingual legal education. She is the current President of the District and Municipal Court Judges Association and was the chair of their diversity committee from 2010 – 2012.
“Veronica is a highly-respected judge and a strong voice in the Latino community,” said Gov. Inslee. “She brings a passion for justice and a dedication to her work that will serve the court well. I look forward to her service on the bench.”
Previously Galván was an Assistant City Attorney for the city of Seattle and was appointed an Administrative Law Judge for the Office of Administrative Hearings, where she served from 2002 - 2007. She was awarded the Juez Excepcional Award from the Latino/a Bar Association of Washington in 2014. Galván has her J.D. from the University of Washington and her B.A. in sociology with an emphasis in criminology from Western Washington University.