Mason County Superior Court Judge David Stevens is running for Washington State Supreme Court Justice Position 3, a race Bellevue voters will see on their Nov. 3 ballots. Stevens, who resides in Shelton, advanced first out of three candidates in the Aug. 4 primary with 612,267 votes, or 35.2% of the total, according to certified results compiled by clearthemud.org.
In a questionnaire submitted to Surround Sound News, Stevens said he is running because "Washington deserves Supreme Court justices who are experienced, independent, and constitutionally grounded." He described the current court majority as "activist judges" appointed by the governor and said the court should not replace the role of voters or the Legislature.
Candidate information
- Office sought: Washington State Supreme Court Justice, Position 3
- Election date: Nov. 3, 2026 (general election)
- Current role: Mason County Superior Court judge (elected 2023, re-elected 2024)
- Residence: Shelton, Mason County, Washington
- Family: Married to Pamela for 31 years; five children and 10 grandchildren
- Education: Bachelor of Arts focusing on Race and Ethnic Relations, University of Washington (1991); Juris Doctor, University of Washington School of Law (1999); Certificate in Islamic Jurisprudence, U.S. Department of State
- Military service: U.S. Navy, Fire Controlman Second Class (E-5), stationed aboard the USS Camden AOE-2 in Bremerton; honorable discharge
- Community involvement: Deacon at Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Shelton; member of VFW Larry Godwin Post 1694 Honor Guard; Skookum Rotary member; UW Law School mentor; YMCA and UW Law School mock trial judge
- Endorsements: Washington State Republican Party, King County Republican Party, Snohomish County Republican Party, Spokane County GOP and Kitsap County GOP, according to The Spokesman-Review and clearthemud.org
Experience and public service
Stevens served in the U.S. Navy before earning his degrees at the University of Washington. He then worked as a federal civil rights investigator at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Fair Housing Enforcement Center in Seattle, according to his questionnaire responses.
His legal career spans nearly three decades. He served as director of the Public Defender's Office for the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation (2014–2016), a criminal defense attorney in private practice (2013–2018), a public defender with the Bureau of Indian Affairs (2017–2018) and chief criminal deputy at the Okanogan County Prosecutor's Office (2018–2021).
Stevens then became senior deputy prosecutor at the Mason County Prosecutor's Office from 2021 to 2023. He also served as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of California and as an international prosecutor in Prishtina, Kosovo. He worked as a justice advisor in Bamiyan, Afghanistan.
In November 2023, Stevens won election to Mason County Superior Court, defeating an incumbent appointed by then-Gov. Jay Inslee. He won re-election to a four-year term in 2024.
On the issues
Judicial philosophy: Stevens describes himself as a textualist in statutory interpretation and an originalist in constitutional interpretation. He said he "strongly favor[s] judicial restraint and stare decisis" and rejects purposivism. He wrote that courts should not substitute their judgment for legislation merely because judges believe another result would be better policy.
Role of the courts: Stevens said public policy belongs to the political branches and the people, not the courts. He cited the state capital gains tax ruling and decisions on public defense and juvenile warrants as examples he views as policymaking from the bench, KUOW reported.
Criminal justice: Stevens opposes race-based evaluation of jury selection, stating it forces courts "to treat jurors differently based on their race," according to KUOW's reporting. He supports judicial authority to issue warrants for defendants who fail to appear.
Trial experience: Stevens said the Supreme Court should have justices with trial experience. He noted he conducted more than 200 criminal jury trials to verdict before becoming a judge. Colleagues knew him as "No Deal Dave." That record, he said, would be more than four times what is expected of a typical prosecutor.
