Justice Theo Angelis is running to retain his seat on the Washington State Supreme Court in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election.
Angelis holds Position 5, a seat he has occupied since 2025, according to BallotReady election data. The race is nonpartisan. It is for the rest of an unexpired term. Dave Larson, also running as nonpartisan, is the other certified candidate.
On his campaign website, Angelis says he is the first justice of Middle Eastern descent to serve on the Washington State Supreme Court. He describes himself as "the son and grandson of immigrants and refugees" who "brings a deeply personal understanding of the importance of a legal system that protects opportunity, fairness, and equal treatment under the law."
Candidate information
Office sought: Washington State Supreme Court Justice, Position 5
Election: Nov. 3, 2026, Washington general election (rest of an unexpired term)
Party: Nonpartisan
Education: Bachelor's degree, summa cum laude, Claremont McKenna College; master's degree, Oxford University; master's degree, London School of Economics; juris doctor, Yale Law School
At Claremont McKenna, Angelis won a British Marshall Scholarship and served as student body president, according to his official court biography. At Yale, he served as articles editor of the Yale Law Journal and managing editor of the Yale Law & Policy Review. He was named best oralist at the Thomas Tang National Moot Court Competition.
Experience and public service
Before joining the bench, Angelis worked at K&L Gates LLP, where he led the firm's global intellectual property practice and its appellate practice, according to his court biography. He also clerked for Judge Stephen F. Williams on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.
Angelis co-authored the white paper that served as a founding document for the World Justice Project, according to the same biography.
His volunteer and community roles, per his court biography, include:
- President, Middle Eastern Legal Association of Washington
- Chair, Fair Campaign Practices Committee, King County Bar Association
- Trustee, King County Bar Association
- President, M. Margaret McKeown Bar Association
- Board member, Foundation for Washington State Courts
- Editor, Washington Lawyers Practice Manual
Awards and recognition, per his court biography:
- 2011 Amicus Award from the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project for his team's work representing an army veteran who was wrongfully held
- 2012 Mentor of the Year, King County Bar Association
- 2017 ACLU Humanitarian Award for class action litigation seeking appointed counsel for children in immigration proceedings
- 2018 Founders Award from Kids in Need of Defense for assisting children in removal proceedings
On the issues
Access to justice: Angelis says on his campaign website that he has "long worked to expand access to the legal system, including extensive pro bono advocacy representing asylum seekers and children." He states that "the courts must remain open, accessible, and fair to all people."
Endorsements
The following endorsements are listed on the candidate's campaign website: Pro-Choice Washington, The Stranger, The Seattle Times and PPAA Washington. The AFL-CIO endorsement is listed in BallotReady data.
