The Honorable Anita L. Farris was appointed to the Snohomish Superior Court Bench in 1994. The Snohomish County Bar Association awarded her its Judge of the Year Award three years later in 1997.
Judge Farris is a lifetime resident of Washington. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree magna cum laude in 1978. Her Juris Doctorate was awarded in 1981 by the University of Washington, where she was a member of the Washington Law Review.
After graduation, Judge Farris clerked for the late Honorable Gerald L. Knight, worked at the Snohomish County Public Defenders Association, and practiced insurance defense in Seattle. She was a founder and a partner for nearly a decade in the Everett law firm of Podrasky, Farris and Tweedie. There she primarily practiced domestic law, but also acted as an arbitrator and Guardian Ad Litem. For her pro bono civil work with Snohomish County Legal Services, she received Outstanding Volunteer Recognition Awards in the 1990s.
During two decades on the bench, Judge Farris has served nine years on the Board of Directors for the Snohomish County Law Library, five years as chair of the Snohomish County Superior Court Personnel Committee, and two years as head of the Commissioner Committee. She currently is a member of the Budget and Personnel Committees.
Judge Farris first became a member of Washington Women Lawyers in the 1980s and the National Association of Women Judges in the 1990s. She is the second woman in history to ever serve on the Snohomish County Superior Court Bench.