Steven Charles González (born 1963) is an American lawyer who served as the chief justice of the Washington Supreme Court from 2021 to 2025.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, González is descended on his father's side from refugees from the Mexican Revolution; his maternal ancestors immigrated at the turn of the 20th century from eastern Europe.
[6] He then served as a Domestic Violence Prosecutor for the City of Seattle in 1996 and 1997 and as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Western District of Washington from 1997 to 2002,[7] during which time he was part of the team that successfully prosecuted the international terrorism case US vs Ressam.
[6] González has served on the board of directors of El Centro de la Raza and the steering committee of the Northwest Minority Job Fair.
[11][12] Before joining the Supreme Court, González served on the Washington State Access to Justice Board for seven years, including two as Chair.
[16] In October 2018, González concurred in the result when the court abolished the state's death penalty because they found its racist imposition violated the Constitution of Washington.
[20] The election was the subject of significant news coverage due to González's opponent's lack of qualifications and Central Washington's racially polarized voting patterns.