OLYMPIA, WA – Photos [Office of Governor Bob Ferguson]
Greek American Theodore (“Theo”) Angelis was formally sworn in as Washington State’s newest Supreme Court Justice on May 18 during a public ceremony at the Temple of Justice on the Capitol Campus in Olympia, WA.
He began serving on the Washington Supreme Court on April 4, 2026, following his appointment by Governor Bob Ferguson to the seat vacated by Justice Barbara Madsen, who retired in April. Madsen was the first woman to be popularly elected to the Court in the state’s history, in 1993, and was unanimously elected to serve as chief justice from 2010 to 2017.
Justice Angelis will be running in a special election on November 3, 2026, to serve the remainder of Madsen’s term, which expires in January 2029.
The oath was administered by Chief Justice Debra L. Stephens, and the robing was performed by his wife, Kim, and their twin children, Katherine and John C. Angelis. His father, Rev. Fr. John C. Angelis, delivered both the invocation and the benediction at the ceremony.
“I pledge to you, as a justice, I will be prepared and thoughtful. I will approach each case with passion and dedication. I will care deeply, always, about how every decision impacts people in Washington, and I will respect everyone who appears before this court”, Angelis said.
“Our work is not just deciding cases, though, it also is in supervising our justice system in the state, and that work, in some ways, is even more important,” he continued. “I am dedicated to continually re-examining, rebuilding, and reforming our justice system”.
The new Justice was presented by Governor Ferguson, who reflected on his early experiences working with Angelis and also shared a statement on X following Monday’s swearing in.
“When I had the chance to work with Theo as a young lawyer, I sought his advice many times. He was always ready to help a colleague. He listened very carefully. He asked excellent questions. And he provided valuable insights that I had not seen despite the hours I had worked on a case”, Ferguson said adding that “those are precisely the qualities that led me to appoint him, and those qualities will make him a truly excellent Supreme Court Justice”, he added.
A graduate of Yale Law School, Justice Angelis is a past president of the Middle Eastern Legal Association of Washington.
Before joining the Supreme Court, he was an award-winning appellate and intellectual property litigator in private practice for 26 years, at K&L Gates LLP. He led the firm’s Appellate practice and, more recently, served as global leader of its Intellectual Property practice. Angelis said his philosophy is that “all lawyers have a duty to protect those in need, expand access to justice, promote the rule of law, and use their skills to improve their communities”. He also co-authored the White Paper that served as a founding document for the World Justice Project.
He is the son of Fr. John P. Angelis, a retired Greek Orthodox priest, and Presvytera Anna Angelis, whose roots trace to Asia Minor.
Within the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of San Francisco, Angelis has long been recognized as a dedicated and faithful leader. According to an earlier announcement from the Metropolis upon his appointment in March 2026, Angelis has served as an Advocate and Member of the Metropolis Council, offering thoughtful guidance in support of its ministries. At his home parish of Saint Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in Seattle, he remains deeply involved in parish life, having served on the Parish Council and Endowment Board and also as a Sunday School teacher for many years.
Since 2022, Angelis is an Archon [Ekdikos] of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, joining a distinguished body of stewards entrusted with the sacred responsibility of “Protecting the Future of Faith,” a calling he has embraced with seriousness and devotion throughout his life.
