Gov. Jay Inslee appointed David J. Whedbee to the King County Superior Court today. He replaces Judge Timothy Bradshaw, who retires at the end of August.
Whedbee has worked for nearly 12 years as an attorney at MacDonald Hoague & Bayless in Seattle, maintaining an extensive civil and criminal litigation practice in state and federal court. In 2017 and 2018, he served as managing director at the firm.
Whedbee has focused on civil rights cases, tort litigation, employment law, criminal representation and Public Records Act and Freedom of Information Act litigation.
He served as a law clerk for U.S. District Court Judge Helen G. Berrigan in the Eastern District of Louisiana and Judge Ronald M. Gould in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Whedbee also worked as an attorney for Gordon, Thomas, Honeywell, Malanca, Petersen & Daheim in Seattle and served as pro bono special assistant for the general counsel to Gov. Christine Gregoire in 2006.
Whedbee served for 11 years as a board member for ACLU of Washington. In 2018, he was named ACLU of Washington’s representative on the ACLU National Board.
“David has a deep commitment to civil liberties and to holding powerful interests accountable,” Inslee said. “He has an excellent professional reputation and will make a great addition to the bench.”
He received his law degree from the University of Washington, his master’s degree from the London School of Economics and bachelor’s degree from Pomona College.