Washington Supreme Court Justice Charles Wiggins to retire

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Washington Supreme Court Justice Charles Wiggins announced Thursday he will retire at the end of March.

The 72-year-old Wiggins was first elected to the court in 2010. In a letter to Governor Jay Inslee, he wrote that it had been “a tremendous honor” to serve on the court but that he wanted to spend more time with his wife, Nancy, and their family.

A former appeals lawyer, Wiggins won his seat nearly a decade ago after beating three-term Justice Richard Sanders by 13,000 votes out of nearly 2 million cast.

Wiggins’ announcement comes shortly after the retirement of former Chief Justice Mary Fairhurst, who retired this week to focus on her health as she fights a third bout of cancer. The court’s newest justice, Raquel Montoya-Lewis, was sworn in last month. She is the first Native American justice to serve on the state’s highest court.

The Democratic Governor will appoint a new justice who must run in the November election, and then again in 2022, when Wiggins’ term would have ended. (AP)

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