Justice Raquel Montoya-Lewis Keynote Speaker at Alliance for Equal Justice Access Conference September 18-19

Justice Raquel Montoya-Lewis Keynote Speaker at Alliance for Equal Justice Access Conference September 18-19

The Alliance for Equal Justice's biennial Access to Justice Conference returns September 18-19. The conference's 2025 theme, "Finding Joy in Justice Work: Centering Hope & Community Care," casts a lens on indigenous approaches to justice, exploring change leadership that supports healing, engagement, resilience and the respect of impacted communities.

Presenting the keynote address is Justice Raquel Montoya-Lewis, a member of the Washington State Supreme Court since January 6, 2020 after being appointed the position by Governor Jay Inslee. Montoya-Lewis is the first Native American Justice to serve on the Washington State Supreme Court, and the second Native American to serve on a state supreme court nationwide.

In her keynote, "Decolonizing Resilience & Survivorship," Montoya-Lewis explores the sources of strength needed for protecting indigenous knowledge, hope, resilience and survivorship.

Shedding a light on conversations around indigenous restorative justice, Montoya-Lewis illuminates that in legal, non-profit and social justice circles, it's become commonplace to talk about indigenous ways of knowing and the resilience of native people.

But too often, indigenous people aren't included in the rooms where decisions are made. Places where people employ native healing practices, make decisions about their lives, and debate their humanity.

Says Montoya-Lewis, "People make decisions for us, and they rely on our resilience to presume we will survive. True engagement requires respect for indigenous humanity and patience, but the respect and patience required does not come from impacted communities. Let's talk about how we can be better as a system when we decolonize resilience. Apologies are not enough. Forgiveness is earned."

The two-day Access to Justice Conference will be held both virtually and in-person at the Yakima Convention & Event Center. Montoya-Lewis will be presenting her keynote address on September 18 at 12:45 p.m. TVW is livestreaming the keynote, with the recording to be publicly available after the event.

Justice Montoya-Lewis has spent her career as a practicing attorney, tribal court judge, superior court judge, associate professor, and advocate for juvenile justice reform, equity, and tribal communities. A graduate of University of New Mexico and the University of Washington School of Law, she previously served as Chief Judge for the Lummi, Nooksack, and Upper Skagit tribes, and has served as a trial court judge and as an appellate judge for tribes throughout the Pacific Northwest.

Justice Montoya-Lewis is an enrolled member of the Pueblo of Isleta and a descendant of the Pueblo of Laguna, two federally recognized tribes in New Mexico.

Also of Jewish descent, she is the first justice nationally to publicly acknowledge she is autistic, and is actively engaged in research on autism and the practice of law and judging.

Every two years, the Access to Justice Conference convenes community members, legal system advocates, judges, attorneys, and policymakers across Washington State committed to dismantling legal systems of oppression and poverty. The Access to Justice (ATJ) Board reports annually to the Washington Supreme Court and is administered by the Washington State Bar Association.

CONTACT: Robin Zimmermann, Senior Communications Officer, Administrative Office of the Courts, (360) 890-0991, [email protected].