Raquel Montoya-Lewis

"“I was raised to remember that I come from those who survived.”"

"“From both sides of my family, [there is] a very heavy emphasis on the importance of education, which is something that has really been the key to my ability to do what I’ve done … To take my education seriously, and to be able to go to college and beyond that has absolutely been foundational to my success.”"

"“On both sides of my family, governments, other entities, really sought to wipe us out … My father really instilled in me the importance of recognizing that I came from people who persisted, people who were lucky enough to survive, and that my existence is dependent upon those people’s persistence and resilience.”"

"“I believe my role is to listen carefully, with neutrality and fairness, and to apply the law regardless of my personal, subjective beliefs.”"

"In every forum and nearly every case, children are impacted. They are impacted when their parents cannot parent due to drug and alcohol issues landing them in court, they are impacted when their needs were not met as children and they become involved in the juvenile justice system."

"It is, however, enormously difficult to provide court and social services to these children and families when funding is minimal at best or non-existent at worst."

"Despite the efforts of many tribal judges and the good intentions of state courts, we find ourselves continually justifYing our existence and our skill sets."

"I know that and can address those issues in a systematic way, recognizing that these families are complex systems and that the parents come to the court not solely borne out oftheir own difficulties and bad choices, but also out ofthe pattern of abuse and neglect that has been part oftheir family for generations."

"There is no doubt in my mind and in my experience that the therapeutic approach benefits the individual, and therefore the community, far more."

"All children deserve stability and most agree that a child in foster care lacks stability."

"No one wants to see a child stay in foster care one minute longer than is absolutely necessary to ensure her safety."

"Every day there is something that makes me reflect that this is a historical appointment that is meaningful to other people."

"I don't know that there's ever been a drum group or those sounds in that building. But there are now, and I wanted to make a public statement that we're here — and that I belong there."

"I became really interested in how the law functions as this underpinning of our society and codifies the ways we interact with each other in ways that we don't even really think about."

"My view has been since the moment I decided to apply for this position, I'm going to be who I am."

"If Gov. [Jay] Inslee or the public doesn't embrace that, that's OK, but I can't pretend to be someone other than who I am."

"I've had people say, ‘You don't look like a judge,’ and they've said that in lots of different ways. [But] I do look like a Supreme Court justice, because I am one."

"It really has been only recently that I've seen the judiciary recognize that and want to take a leadership role in that area. That's absolutely something that I think is a critical part of what a supreme court does and should be doing — in terms of talking about [this problem] and acknowledging that it exists, but also being a problem solver."

"Every single family in my years of tribal court work had a story to tell about that."

"I know what that intergenerational trauma looks like and what the consequences are. If I have the ability in this position to give a voice to that story, I'm going to take it."

"The assumption has been, throughout my entire career, that because I am not white that I am not fair or I am not neutral."

"I’m not afforded the presumption of neutrality or objectivity that my colleagues are — I have to prove that I am neutral or objective."

"It's part of my obligation that I do whatever possible in this position to encourage other people who are otherwise underrepresented — whether that's communities of color, first-generation college students, people from poor communities — to picture themselves in roles that have otherwise been closed to them."

"I'm not in this because I want to be in the history books as someone who was the first. That matters, and it matters to a lot of people. But what really matters to me is that I not be the last."