Sal Mungia
Sal Mungia | |
|---|---|
| Associate Justice of the Washington Supreme Court | |
| Assumed office January 15, 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Susan Owens |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Salvador Alejo Mungia II 1959 (age 65–66) Lakewood, Washington, U.S. |
| Education | Pacific Lutheran University (BA) Georgetown University (JD) |
Salvador Alejo Mungia II (born 1959)[1] is an American lawyer who has served as a justice of the Washington Supreme Court since 2025.
Early life and education
[edit]Mungia was born in Lakewood, Washington.[2] He graduated from Clover Park High School in 1977 he attended Pacific Lutheran University, graduating in 1981.[3] He graduated from Georgetown University Law Center in 1984.[3][2]
Career
[edit]After graduating law school, Mungia clerked for Washington Supreme Court Justice Fred H. Dore and then U.S. District Court Judge Carolyn Dimmick.[2] In 1986, he joined Gordon Thomas Honeywell in Tacoma where he specialized in civil trial and appellate law, including medical malpractice, injury, and business law.[4][5] He has argued appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court.[6]
Mungia worked with a group of lawyers who proposed a judicial rule to help stop racial discrimination in jury selection, which the Washington Supreme Court adopted in 2018.[2] He has worked with the American Civil Liberties Union, providing pro bono work to incarcerated individuals and tenants in disputes with their landlords.[2]
Washington Supreme Court
[edit]In 2024, Justice Susan Owens retired from the Supreme Court due to the state constitution that requires justices to retire at the end of the year they turn 75.[2] It was the first State Supreme court election in 12 years without an incumbent running for reelection.[6] In the primary election, Mungia came in first among four candidates, with 43.43%, and Federal Way Municipal Court judge Dave Larson came in second, with 36.45%.[7]
Although a nonpartisan election, Mungia was endorsed by Democrats, while Larson was endorsed by the State Republican party.[6] He outraised Larson, $525,000 to $175,000, with most of Mungia's donations coming from democratic or progressive sources.[8] Mungia won the general election, winning by a close margin, 50.05% to 49.44%.[9][10]
Personal life
[edit]Mungia is a child of immigrant parents; his father is from Mexico, and his mother is from Japan.[5] He is single and has three adult children, one child in school and one grandchild.[3]
Electoral history
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Non partisan | Sal Mungia | 1,644,253 | 50.05 | |
| Non partisan | Dave Larson | 1,624,309 | 49.44 | |
| Write-in | 16,654 | 0.51 | ||
| Total votes | 3,285,216 | 100.00 | ||
References
[edit]- ^ Geballe, Bob (July 15, 2021). "The Atlas of Legal Aid - If Salvador Mungia had his way, 'justice for all' would be a given". Super Lawyers.
- ^ a b c d e f Park, Julia (July 10, 2024). "Four candidates are vying to fill the open WA Supreme Court seat". KXLY. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
- ^ a b c "Seattle attorney Sal Mungia leads fundraising, endorsement race for open Washington Supreme Court seat, but opponents say he was picked by elites" (PDF). www.courts.wa.gov. July 18, 2024. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
- ^ Duyvestein, Annika (June 21, 2024). "Meet the 2024 candidates for Washington State Supreme Court Position #2: Sal Mungia". The Cascadia Advocate. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
- ^ a b Bortnick, Morgan (November 2, 2024). "Washington state Supreme Court candidate profile: Sal Mungia". The Daily of the University of Washington. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
- ^ a b c Greenstone, Scott (October 14, 2024). "Washington's Supreme Court will have its first truly open election in 12 years". KUOW. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
- ^ Hobbs, Steve (August 22, 2024). "Canvass of the Returns of the Primary Held on August 6, 2024" (PDF). Secretary of State of Washington. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 6, 2025. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
- ^ Davis, Brett (November 6, 2024). "Mungia, Larson remain in a tight battle for Position 2 seat on WA Supreme Court". The Center Square. Retrieved 28 November 2024.
- ^ Demkovich, Laurel (November 15, 2024). "Race for WA Supreme Court seat still close as final votes are tallied • Washington State Standard". Washington State Standard. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
- ^ a b Hobbs, Steve (December 4, 2024). "Canvass of the Returns of the General Election Held on November 5, 2024" (PDF). Secretary of State of Washington. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2025-07-04. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
External links
[edit]- Sal Mungia at Ballotpedia
- Mungia at Oyez
Statewide elected officials and legislative leaders of Washington | ||
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| U.S. senators |  | |
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- 1950s births
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- 20th-century American lawyers
- 21st-century American judges
- 21st-century American lawyers
- American jurists of Japanese descent
- American judges of Mexican descent
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- Justices of the Washington Supreme Court
- Pacific Lutheran University alumni
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