VANCOUVER, Wash. – Washington State Supreme Court Justice Steven C. González will be keynote speaker for the Washington State University Vancouver spring 2012 commencement ceremony at 1 p.m. Saturday, May 12, at the Sleep Country Amphitheater. The event is free to the public; tickets are not required.
Before joining the court in January, González served for 10 years as a trial judge on the King County Superior Court hearing criminal, civil, juvenile and family law cases.
He earned his B.A. with honors in East Asian studies from Pitzer College and his J.D. from U.C. Berkeley School of Law (Boalt Hall) where he was technical editor of the La Raza Law Journal.
Prior to serving as a judge, he coordinated hate crimes prosecutions as an assistant U.S. attorney in the western district of Washington, prosecuted domestic violence for the City of Seattle and worked as an associate in the business law department at the Seattle law firm Hillis Clark Martin & Peterson.
González is passionate about providing open access to the justice system for all. He was appointed by the Supreme Court to the Washington State Access to Justice Board and served for seven years, including the last two years as its chair. He is a frequent lecturer at continuing legal education seminars and is a mentor to students through organizations including the Future of the Law Institute.
“We are thrilled to have Justice González as our commencement keynote speaker,” said Nancy Youlden, vice chancellor for student affairs and chair of the commencement committee. “I believe his message will be one that inspires and resonates with our students.”
The Sleep Country Amphitheater is located at 17200 NE Delfel Rd., Ridgefield. Parking and gates will open at 11 a.m.; the seating area will open at 11:30 a.m. Concessions will be available.