Gov. Jay Inslee appointed Judge Charnelle Bjelkengren to the Spokane County Superior Court today. She replaces Judge James Triplet who passed away in October.
Bjelkengren currently serves as senior administrative law judge in the Spokane Valley Office of Administrative Hearings, where she has worked for the past five years. In that role, she has held hearings involving the Employment Security Department and the Department of Social and Health Services and currently serves in a management role overseeing a team of administrative law judges.
Bjelkengren worked for the Washington State Attorney General’s Office in Spokane. As an assistant attorney general, she represented several state agencies, including the Department of Social and Health Services, Department of Licensing and Employment Security Department. While at the Attorney General's office, she also worked on variety of issues including childcare licensing, civil commitments, unemployment compensation and higher education.
“Charnelle has a strong reputation as a fair, impartial and well-informed jurist who has earned the respect of those who appear before her,” Inslee said. “She will be a great addition to the Spokane County Superior Court.”
She received her law degree from Gonzaga University and her bachelor’s degree from Minnesota State University.