David Stevens is running for Washington Supreme Court Justice Position 3 in the November 3, 2026 general election. The official King County Elections candidate list lists Stevens and Jaime Michelle Hawk for the six-year, nonpartisan term.
Experience and education
In his submitted Surround Sound Media questionnaire, Stevens identifies himself as a sitting Superior Court judge and says he was elected to Mason County Superior Court in 2023 and reelected in 2024.
Stevens reports earning a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Washington in 1991 and a law degree from its law school in 1999. He says he served in the U.S. Navy aboard the USS Camden, then used veterans’ education benefits to attend university.
His questionnaire describes work as a federal civil rights investigator with the Department of Housing and Urban Development, chief public defender for the Colville Confederated Tribes, a senior deputy prosecutor in Mason County, a special assistant U.S. attorney in California, an international prosecutor in Kosovo and a justice advisor in Afghanistan. These career descriptions are attributed to his submitted answers.
Judicial approach
Stevens describes his approach as textualist when interpreting statutes and originalist when interpreting the Constitution. He says he favors judicial restraint and adherence to precedent, and believes public policy decisions belong to elected officials and voters.
Asked about preparation for the office, he points to trial work and experience making decisions as a prosecutor and judge. He argues that constitutional changes should occur through amendments rather than judicial reinterpretation.
The views above come from Stevens’s actual submitted Surround Sound Media questionnaire. They are presented as his descriptions of his qualifications and judicial philosophy.
Responses are based on public data and answers to a Surround Sound Media questionnaire if they were provided.
