Whitener was nominated by Governor Jay Inslee on April 13, 2020, to fill the seat of retiring justice Charles K.

She earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in international marketing and trade from Baruch College, followed by a Juris Doctor from the Seattle University School of Law.

[3] After graduating from law school, Whitener worked as a public defender, prosecutor, and private defense attorney.

[4] She served as a judge on the Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals for two years and then on the Pierce County Superior Court from 2015 to 2020, having been appointed by Governor Inslee and elected unopposed in 2015 and 2016.

[5] Whitner is married to Lynn Rainey, a fellow graduate of the Seattle University School of Law and an LGBTQ activist.