Mason County Superior Court Judge David Stevens wants to bring what he calls a textualist, originalist approach to the Washington State Supreme Court.

Stevens, who resides in Shelton, is running for Supreme Court Justice Position 3 in the Nov. 3 general election. Everett voters will see the statewide race on their ballots. He finished first among three candidates in the Aug. 4 primary, receiving 612,267 votes, or 35.2%, according to certified results announced Aug. 21.

"I am running for the Supreme Court because Washington deserves Supreme Court justices who are experienced, independent, and constitutionally grounded," Stevens said in a questionnaire submitted to Surround Sound News.

Candidate information

Office sought: Washington State Supreme Court Justice, Position 3

Election date: Nov. 3, 2026

Residence: Shelton, Mason County

Family: Married to Pamela for 31 years. Five children and 10 grandchildren.

Education: Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, University of Washington, 1991; Juris Doctor, University of Washington School of Law, 1999; Certificate in Islamic Jurisprudence, U.S. Department of State.

Party affiliation: Stevens listed "Not applicable" in his questionnaire. The race is nonpartisan. He has received endorsements from the Washington State Republican Party, the King County Republican Party, the Snohomish County Republican Party, the Spokane County GOP and the Kitsap County GOP, according to The Spokesman-Review and other sources.

Community involvement: Deacon at Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Shelton, member of VFW Larry Godwin Post 1694 Honor Guard, Skookum Rotary member, University of Washington Law School mentor, YMCA and UW Law School mock trial judge.

Experience and public service

Stevens served in the U.S. Navy aboard the USS Camden AOE-2 in Bremerton as a Fire Controlman Second Class and received an honorable discharge.

After his Navy service, he earned his undergraduate degree at UW using the Veterans' Education Assistance Program, 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 before attending law school.

His legal career spans prosecution, defense and international work. Stevens served as chief public defender for the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation from 2014 to 2016 and ran a private criminal defense practice from 2013 to 2018.

He worked as a public defender for the Bureau of Indian Affairs from 2017 to 2018, then as chief criminal deputy at the Okanogan County Prosecutor's Office from 2018 to 2021. He was 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, an international prosecutor in Prishtina, Kosovo, and a justice advisor in Bamiyan, Afghanistan.

Stevens was elected to Mason County Superior Court in November 2023, defeating an incumbent appointed by then-Gov. Jay Inslee. He was re-elected in 2024.

In his questionnaire, Stevens said his trial record sets him apart. He said he completed more than 200 criminal jury trials before becoming a judge, a figure he described as more than four times what would be expected of a typical prosecutor.

On the issues

Judicial philosophy: Stevens describes himself as a textualist in statutory interpretation and an originalist in constitutional interpretation. He said he favors judicial restraint and stare decisis, the legal principle of following precedent. He rejects what he calls purposivism, or interpreting statutes based on perceived legislative intent, and said he is "particularly skeptical of using legislative history to overcome otherwise clear statutory language."

Role of the courts: Stevens said the Supreme Court is "a constitutional court, not a policy-making body" and that public policy belongs to the political branches and voters. He told KUOW he views recent rulings on the state capital gains tax, public defense and juvenile warrants as examples of policymaking from the bench.

Criminal justice: Stevens supports judicial authority to issue warrants for defendants who fail to appear in court. He opposes race-based evaluation of jury selection, stating it forces courts "to treat jurors differently based on their race," according to KUOW's reporting.

Constitutional change: Stevens said constitutional change should come through the amendment process, not judicial reinterpretation. He said he is "strongly opposed" to what he calls the Legal Pragmatism or living-Constitution approach, arguing that changed technology, morality or social conditions do not authorize judges to give unchanged constitutional language new meaning.

The general election is Nov. 3.