Thurston County Superior Court Judges

Judge Paula Casey

Judge Paula Casey is the current Presiding Judge of Thurston County Superior Court.  She was first elected to the bench in 1984, after serving as Superior Court’s Court Commissioner. Judge Casey was an attorney in private practice in Olympia from 1976-1982.  From 1973-1975 she practiced law as a staff attorney for Micronesian Legal Services Corporation on the island of Truk in the East Caroline Islands.  To this day, she credits her experience in Truk as that which has most impacted her work in the courtroom.

Judge Casey earned her undergraduate degree in mathematics and political science from Willamette University in 1969, and she graduated from Willamette University College of Law in 1972 as the only woman in her class.  Her first job after graduation was as law clerk to Oregon Supreme Court Justice Edward Howell.

Judge Casey was instrumental in the development of Thurston County’s Family and Juvenile Court, co-locating family law and juvenile law matters together, but separate from the main courthouse.  She served as the Family and Juvenile Court Presiding Judge from 1998 through 2001 and 2007 through 2009.  The Unified Family Court project is designed to better serve families and children involved with the court.  The project has been a model for other courts around the state and for best practices.

Judge Casey is a founder and past board member of the Thurston County Dispute Resolution Center.  She has worked to make community resources available to solve conflicts and to develop court-annexed dispute resolution resources.  She believes the adversary system can be unforgiving in terms of its effects on the well being of litigants.  Those who must live together as neighbors, parent children in common, or otherwise work together long after the dispute has been resolved are often better served without trial.  Others may also achieve timely and less costly solutions to legal problems with trial alternatives.

Judge Casey received the Washington State Bar Association Family Law Section Jurist of the Year Award in 1998, the Washington Women Lawyers Chapter Member of the Year Award for 1998, the YWCA Women of Achievement Award for Leadership in 1999, and the Community Youth Services Youth Advocate of the Year Award in 2002 based on her work with families and children.  Judge Casey and her husband Nick Handy were honored by Thurston County United Way as 2003 Philanthropists of the Year.  She was honored as a Champion for Kids by Together! In 2009.

Judge Casey serves on the Thurston County United Way Success by Six Leadership Committee and the Community Drug Court Foundation.  She is a past member of Boards including Families for Kids Partnership, Thurston County Volunteer Legal Clinic (liaison), Washington State CASA, and the Hands On Children’s Museum. Judge Casey served as Chair of the Superior Court Judges Association Family and Juvenile Law Committee, Court Improvement Committee, and Civil Law and Rules Committee and the Washington Board of Judicial Administration Court Security Committee.

Judge Thomas McPhee

Thomas McPhee has been a superior court judge for Thurston County since 1990.  Judge McPhee serves as the judicial representative on the Justice Project Oversight Committee and has been very involved in all aspects of planning the courts’ portion of the project.  He is also the superior court’s representative on the Jail Population Management Committee.

Before becoming a judge, he was an attorney practicing in Olympia for 20 years and is a past president of the Thurston County Bar Association.  In the community, Judge McPhee has served as a board member and president of Thurston Youth Services.

Judge Richard D. Hicks

Judge Christine A. Pomeroy

Christine Pomeroy has been a Superior Court judge for Thurston County since 1993.  Judge Pomeroy is currently a trustee of the Superior Court Judges' Association.

Judge Gary R. Tabor

Judge Gary R. Tabor holds position number six on the Thurston County Superior Court.  He is the presiding judge for the county.  He was elected in November 1996 and is the 25th Superior Court Judge to take the bench in Thurston County since Washington Statehood in 1889.  Judge Tabor received an undergraduate degree in Education from Oklahoma Christian College in 1968. He entered the United States Air Force shortly thereafter and served as an Air Defense Aircraft Controller in Arizona, the Philippines and McChord AFB, Washington until 1975.  He then attended the University of Puget Sound School of Law, receiving his J.D. in 1977.  Prior to being elected Superior Court Judge, Judge Tabor was a Thurston County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for more than 18 years and served as the Chief Criminal Deputy for 12 of those years.  Judge Tabor graduated from the National Fire Academy Arson Investigation School and is a graduate of the National Judicial College.  He has been an Adjunct Professor of Constitutional and Criminal Law at St. Martin’s College, Lacey, Washington, since 1984.  Judge Tabor is currently serving as the Presiding Judge for Thurston County Superior Court having served as Presiding Judge in 2002-2003.

Judge Chris Wickham

Judge Chris Wickham was first elected to Superior Court in 2004.  Immediately prior to his election, he had served for 13 years as the Family Court Commissioner for Thurston County Superior Court.  In 1999, the court became a Unified Family Court and so his assignment included family and juvenile law cases.  As Commissioner, Judge Wickham helped develop programs at Superior Court including the Unified Family Court, the Courthouse Facilitator program and Family Treatment Court.  He has been the chair of the 2003 and 2004 Domestic Violence Summits for Thurston County.

He currently serves on the Certified Professional Guardian Board for the State of Washington and is the chair of the Superior Court Judges Association Probate and Guardianship Committee.  he is a long-time member of the Superior Court Judges Association Family and Juvenile Law Committee.

Judge Wickham is currently one of four general jurisdiction trial judges in Thurston County Superior Court.  In January 2009, he will begin a two-year assignment at Family and Juvenile Court.

Judge Wickham had a general legal practice in Olympia, first with an emphasis on family law matters and later on elder law.  He had worked as a labor law attorney in California and as a legal services attorney in Connecticut and Olympia.  Judge Wickham is admitted to practice law in California, Connecticut and Washington.  A native of New York State, he has resided in Thurston County, Washington since 1977.

Judge Wickham is a graduate of Cornell University and Hastings College of Law.  He serves on various law-related boards and committees and as  faculty for the Domestic Violence Institute, a joint project of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges and the Family Violence Prevention Fund.  He has done extensive training in the areas of family law and domestic violence.

In the greater Thurston County community, Judge Wickham has served on boards of many community groups, including Senior Services, the Dispute Resolution Center, the United Community Aids Network, Garden Raised Bounty and the Griffin Neighborhood Association.  He is a member of West Olympia Rotary.

Judge Wickham enjoys his family, sailing, cycling, running, reading and traveling.

Judge Anne Hirsch

Judge Anne Hirsch was first elected to the Thurston County Superior Court in 2006, after serving over 14 years as a part time Family and Juvenile Court Commissioner for the Court.  Prior to and during much of the time she served as a court commissioner, Judge Hirsch maintained a private law practice, which included work as a mediator and guardian ad litem.  Before opening her private practice, Judge Hirsch worked for many years as a legal services attorney, representing senior citizens and low income families needing civil legal assistance.

Judge Hirsch was an original member of the Advisory Committee that created the programs at Thurston County's Family and Juvenile Court.  She supports the use and creation of therapeutic, or problem solving, courts, and presides over Family Dependency Treatment Court.  Judge Hirsch began a three-year rotation at Family and Juvenile Court in January 2010..

Over the years, Judge Hirsch has participated as a trainer and volunteer for many community projects, including her current work with Capital High School students as a Street Law instructor.  She graduated from National Judicial College and has participated in national training on issues of concern to families and children.  She has served on local community boards including The Thurston County Bar Association, Friends of the Olympia Farmer's Market and was a founding Board member of Thurston County Volunteer Legal Services.  Judge Hirsch currently serves on the boards of the Child Care Action Council, The Thurston County Domestic Violence Fatality Review Board and the Thurston County Food Bank.

Judge Carol Murphy

Judge Carol Murphy began her term on the Thurston County Superior Court in January, 2009. Prior to her election to the bench, she worked for the Attorney General's Office in Olympia for over 17 years, serving as an Assistant Attorney General, Senior Counsel, and Deputy Solicitor General. Her law practice involved representing state agencies and employees in litigation in state and federal courts, including many jury trials and appeals. She handled cases at all levels of state and federal courts, including multiple oral arguments in the Court of Appeals, Washington Supreme Court, and Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Judge Murphy lives in Olympia with her husband and children, and is involved in many community boards and organizations.

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