Yakima Gets New Superior Court Judge

Governor Bob Ferguson appointed Bree Black Horse today as a Yakima superior court judge. She is the first new judge position added since 1998! Governor Ferguson created the position due to rising community growth creating demand for new judges.

Background

 An enrolled member of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, Bree Black Horse has 12 years of legal experience in both criminal and civil cases. She's received a B.A. from Seattle Pacific University and J.D. from Seattle University School of Law.

She’s worked as the Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, and was a legal aid attorney and public defender for Yakama Indian Nation. She notably was the first regional prosecutor in the Northwest who mainly focused on cases of missing or murdered Indigenous peoples.

She’s prosecuted cases across the Northwest. A notable case was when she prosecuted a defendant who shot at law enforcement officers seeking a 198-month federal sentence.

Another case she sought 25 years in federal prison for a vicious murderer of a Yakama Nation woman. She is involved in groups such as Washington Women Lawyers, Eastern District of Washington Federal Bar Association, ACLU, Northwest Harvest, and Women of Color Legal Education Fund.

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Why She Was Chosen

Black Horse was chosen due to her being based within Yakima, her work with Yakama Nation, and her work with the Seattle University/Heritage University Hybrid Hub aimed at allowing students to complete a law degree without moving to Seattle.

READ MORE: THESE CONCERTS MAKING A PIT STOP APPEARANCE IN YAKIMA AND TRI-CITIES

Black Horse's official statement upon appointment included that she would be committed to integrity, humility, impartiality, dignity, and inclusivity.