State Supreme Court to hear oral arguments in Port Angeles next week

Published 1:30 am Saturday, May 23, 2026

PORT ANGELES — Washington Supreme Court justices will bring the state’s highest court to the North Olympic Peninsula next week, combining oral arguments at Peninsula College with classroom visits and meetings with tribal and community members.

Established in 1985, the traveling court program allows communities outside Olympia to observe the Supreme Court in action and interact directly with justices through school visits and public discussions.

“The community gets a chance to see how an appellate court works,” Justice Salvador Mungia said by phone from Olympia.

“Most people have a pretty good understanding about how a trial court works.”

On Wednesday morning, one or two justices will visit Port Townsend High School, Blue Heron Middle School, Sequim High School and Port Angeles High School. Justices also are scheduled to meet with members of the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe at the Elwha Klallam Museum at the Carnegie in Port Angeles.

The justices then will head to Peninsula College for lunch with students, a panel discussion and a reception.

The public is encouraged to attend as the court hears oral arguments in two cases at Peninsula College’s Little Theater, followed by a question-and-answer session with audience members.

“All nine of us will be holding a full court just like we would at the Temple of Justice,” Mungia said.

In State v. Martinez-Loyola, the court will consider whether a trial court used the proper standard when it determined that a juror’s remarks suggesting possible racial or ethnic bias did not affect the proceedings.

In Baker v. Seattle Children’s Hospital, the court will consider whether the hospital violated Washington’s Privacy Act through software that collected and shared website user data for marketing purposes.

Mungia said the justices’ conference about cases after oral arguments, questioning one another about legal reasoning and differing views before drafting opinions that can take months to complete.

While in Port Angeles, the justices also will attend a reception to honor former Justice Susan Owens, who died last year.

Owens was elected to the state Supreme Court in 2000, becoming the seventh woman to serve. Before she joined the Supreme Court, she served for 19 years on the Clallam County District Court bench.

Mungia, who succeeded Owens in Position 2 on the Supreme Court, said Owens cared deeply about people and the law.

“She was diligent in her work and she took her work seriously,” he said.

Oral arguments

The state Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on the following two cases followed by a question-and-answer session with audience members at 9 a.m. Thursday at Peninsula College’s Little Theater, 1502 E. Lauridsen Blvd.

• Case 1: State v. Martinez-Loyola, No. 104658-8

Issue: After Martinez-Loyola was convicted, a juror made remarks that suggested racial or ethnic bias that may have affected the proceedings. The trial court held an evidentiary hearing and concluded the version was not affected by racial bias. The state Supreme Court will consider what is the proper standard of review of that decision and under that proper standard of review, did the trial court err?

• Case 2: Baker v. Seattle Children’s Hospital, No. 104590-4

Issue: Washington’s Privacy Act generally prohibits someone from intercepting or recording private communications without all parties’ consent. Children’s Hospital used software to collect data on its website users’ actions. It both used and shared that data with others for marketing purposes. Did that use violate the Privacy Act?

Written arguments for the cases are available at www.courts.wa.gov/briefs. Search under “Supreme Court” by the case number.

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Reporter Paula Hunt can be reached by email at paula.hunt@peninsuladailynews.com.