Faith, Justice, and the Law: The Enduring Legacy of Justice Mary Yu

A smiling woman with short, dark and gray hair wears a black academic gown and white shirt against a brick wall. — *Justice Mary Yu ’93 J.D.*

Spending the past 25 years as a judge was more of an accident than a planned path, according to Washington Supreme Court Justice Mary Yu ’93 J.D. She was working in the King County Prosecutor’s Office when a retiring judge encouraged her to apply. After other mentor judges motivated her to make the move to the bench, she decided to submit her name for consideration. She was appointed by Governor Gary Locke in 2000 to the King County Superior Court, marking the beginning of a storied judicial career.

Justice Yu is the first Asian, the first Latina, and the first member of the LGBTQ community to serve on the Washington State Supreme Court. A native of the Bridgeport neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side, Justice Yu is a first-generation American and the first member of her family to graduate from college. Her mother immigrated from Mexico and her father from China.

Raised in a working-class family, Yu once doubted that college was within reach. That changed when a teacher at St. Mary of Perpetual Help High School encouraged her to pursue higher education. She went on to earn a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in religious studies from Dominican University—then known as Rosary College—and from Mundelein College of Loyola University.

Smiling Notre Dame graduates in dark blue academic regalia with gold trim and crests. A woman in the foreground holds a bouquet of red and green flowers. — *Justice Mary Yu with her classmates at the Notre Dame Law School graduation*

But attending law school was something that never crossed her mind until she spent 10 years working for the Archdiocese of Chicago in the Peace and Justice Office. After working on various initiatives related to social justice, it became clear to her that she needed “another set of tools to effectively advance social policies.”

With a desire to study law in the context of her Catholic faith and the church’s social teachings, Justice Yu found her ideal match in Notre Dame.

“I was able to shape my view of the law, considering what I believe to be a moral mandate—to seek justice for all,” said Justice Yu, who has served on the Washington Supreme Court since 2014. “I took to heart the biblical mandate that we should measure the success of our community by evaluating how well or not the least among us is doing."

“Overall, I have no regrets and loved my job every day.” -Justice Mary Yu

Whether she was being encouraged by Terry Phelps to find her voice, mentored by Father Bill Lewers on social justice, or inspired by the deep philosophical thinking of Robert Rhodes, Justice Yu said her time in South Bend molded her into the lawyer she is today.

“I remind myself daily that I am a different kind of lawyer because I am a Notre Dame Lawyer,” she said. “I have taken to heart that whatever we do daily should be rooted in integrity, respect for the dignity of all people, and service to others.”

A woman with short dark hair in a purple blazer and a woman with long brown hair in a black blazer smile while holding a crystal award. The award features "Notre Dame Law School" and "Olivarez Award." — *Victoria Villanueva ’25 J.D. presents Justice Mary Yu with the Graciela Olivárez Award at the Notre Dame Hispanic Law Students Association banquet in 2024.*

At the end of 2025, Justice Yu is stepping down from the bench. During her quarter-century on the bench, she has made an indelible impact, having been part of some of the state’s most historic legal moments. In 2012, she officiated Washington’s first same-sex marriages. Then, in 2018, she joined the majority when the Washington Supreme Court struck down the state’s death penalty, citing its racially biased application.

When reflecting on her career, Justice Yu noted the difficult work that judges take on. She said they are tasked with making tough decisions, and judges in her home state are doing the best they can with limited resources. Justice Yu added that it becomes difficult to explain these difficult decisions so that the public understands how a trial court reached its decision.

“It is important because it goes directly to the issue of transparency and public confidence in our courts,” she said. “For example, despite the presumption of innocence in a criminal case and presumption of release, the public does not understand when a judge allows someone to be released pre-trial. It is not possible to predict human behavior, and our state and federal constitutions have been interpreted to release an individual, absent a finding of dangerousness. This is a very tough decision for a trial judge, and much more grace needs to be given to those judges.”

Ultimately, for Justice Yu, serving on both the trial court and the Washington Supreme Court has been a personal honor. She said being a great judge means developing the ability to listen, remaining humble so that you allow the lawyers to teach you about their case, and maintaining intellectual curiosity about the law and people.

- Written by Andrew Clark