Black Horse joins Yakima County bench in first expansion in nearly 30 years.
OLYMPIA – Today Governor Bob Ferguson announced the appointment of Bree Black Horse to the position of Yakima County Superior Court judge. Black Horse’s appointment, effective today, fills the new position created by a law signed by Governor Ferguson earlier this year. This is the first new position added to the Yakima County Superior Court since 1998.
Black Horse is a career litigator with more than 12 years of experience handling criminal and civil cases in federal, state and Tribal courts. She currently practices at the law firm of Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton, where she represents Tribal governments and enterprises in complex civil litigation and governmental matters. She also serves as director and adjunct professor of law for the Seattle University School of Law Central Washington Hybrid Hub and leads its Pipeline Initiative, a regional partnership between Seattle University School of Law, Heritage University in Toppenish and the AccessLex Institute focused on expanding access to legal education and addressing the shortage of attorneys in Central Washington.
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"Bree Black Horse is an accomplished and diligent attorney with broad legal knowledge and deep roots in the Yakima County community," Governor Ferguson said. "She will be a strong addition to the bench."
"I am honored and grateful to Governor Ferguson for the opportunity to serve the people of Yakima County," Black Horse said. "I have tremendous respect for the responsibility entrusted to our judges, and I am committed to serving with integrity and humility. Every person who comes before the court deserves to be heard, treated with dignity and respect, and to have their case considered fairly and impartially."
Black Horse previously served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, where she became the first regional prosecutor in the Northwest dedicated to addressing cases involving Missing or Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP). Based in Yakima, she served the U.S. Justice Department’s Northwest Region, covering Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and California. She investigated and prosecuted violent crime, child exploitation, narcotics trafficking and firearms offenses, including MMIP cases and related violent crimes in Indian Country, while working with federal, Tribal, state and local law enforcement partners throughout the region.
Black Horse also served as a public defender and legal aid attorney for the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, where she represented Tribal members in criminal proceedings and a broad range of civil matters, including family law, probate, housing and public benefits. Earlier in her career, Black Horse served as a law clerk to U.S. District Court Chief Judge Brian Morris in the District of Montana.
Black Horse has also held leadership roles in numerous legal and community organizations, including serving on the boards of the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington, the Eastern District of Washington Federal Bar Association and Northwest Harvest, and as president of the Washington Women Lawyers Yakima Chapter. She is also a co-founder and administrator of the Washington Women Lawyers Yakima Legal Education Fund, which supports students from Central Washington pursuing legal education.
Black Horse’s honors include Seattle University School of Law’s Woman of the Year, recognition as a Yakima Herald Republic 39 Under 39 honoree and the Washington Women Lawyers Yakima Chapter Member of the Year award.
Black Horse earned her bachelor’s degree from Seattle Pacific University and received her law degree from Seattle University School of Law, where she co-founded and served as editor-in-chief of the American Indian Law Journal.
