Amending the Constitution to provide for senate confirmation of gubernatorial appointments to vacancies on the supreme court.
This bill proposes a constitutional amendment requiring the Washington State Senate to confirm the governor's appointments to vacant Supreme Court seats. Currently, the governor appoints justices to fill vacancies without Senate approval; this change would add a confirmation step for all such appointments. The amendment would modify Article IV, Section 3 of the state constitution to state that appointments "shall be subject to confirmation by the senate as provided by statute." It directly affects the governor (who makes appointments), the Senate (which must confirm), and the process for filling Supreme Court vacancies. The change would take effect if approved by voters at the next general election.
Bill status
in committee
1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Jan 12, 2026
Last action Jan 12, 2026
Floor votes
How they voted
No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
2
Key actions
0
Committee
0
Jan 12, 2026
Introduced
By resolution, reintroduced and retained in present status.
lower
1 primary · 6 co-sponsors
Sponsors
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