Beth M. Andrus (’88) Nominated to U.S. District Court Bench

President Obama has nominated Beth M. Andrus (’88) to serve on the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington. Andrus is currently a judge in Washington state’s King County Superior Court, a position she has held since 2010.

After graduating cum laude from the Law School in 1988, Andrus began her legal career in the federal appellate system, as a clerk to the late Judge Gerald W. Heaney of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit. She went on to practice commercial, employment, intellectual property, and construction law for more than 20 years, the last 15 with the Seattle firm Skellenger Bender, where she became a partner and was later elected managing partner.

While in private practice, Andrus was active in her community as a neighborhood free legal clinic volunteer. She also worked with bar associations, civil rights organizations, and construction trade groups. From 1992 to 2005, she served on the board of directors of the ACLU of Washington, and she was president of the organization from 2000 to 2005. As a judicial officer, she has served on the King County Superior Court executive and budget committees, and she has been appointed a member of the Washington State Bar Association Council on Public Defense.