[2] A native of Olympia, Washington, Fairhurst earned her undergraduate degree in political science from Gonzaga University in 1979, graduating cum laude.
[3] In 1984, she earned her Juris Doctor from Gonzaga University School of Law, graduating magna cum laude.
[3] Fairhurst served in the Attorney General of Washington's office under Christine Gregoire and Ken Eikenberry.
On November 4, 2016, it was announced that Fairhurst had been elected Chief Justice of the Washington State Supreme Court.
In October 2018, Fairhurst wrote the majority opinion on a ruling to abolish state's death penalty.