Governor Ferguson appoints Kelly Wood to Thurston County Superior Court

OLYMPIA - Today Governor Bob Ferguson announced the appointment of Kelly Wood to the position of Thurston County Superior Court Judge. Wood's appointment, effective July 2, fills the position that Judge Carol Murphy's resignation will vacate. Judge Murphy retires after 34 years of public service, including 17 years on the Thurston County bench.

Wood is a career litigator with more than two decades of legal experience in all levels of both state and federal courts, including the United States Supreme Court. In his current role as a Senior Counsel and managing assistant attorney general, he advises and represents the Washington State Department of Ecology. Wood has also represented the State of Washington more broadly in various litigation matters, including Washington's lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Energy for worker health issues at the Hanford Nuclear Site. He also supervises six attorneys who represent Ecology's Air, Climate, Nuclear Waste and Solid Waste programs and the Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council. Wood is also recognized nationwide for federal Clean Water Act litigation. He has been with the Attorney General's Office for 18 years in total.

"Kelly Wood has done extraordinary work litigating some of the most significant issues facing the State of Washington," Governor Ferguson said. "I worked closely with Kelly for many years at the Attorney General's Office. He is an excellent lawyer and will make an excellent Thurston County judge."

"I am humbled and honored by this appointment," Wood said. "The Thurston County bench has a long tradition of integrity and rigorous legal analysis, and I am committed to carrying both forward."

In between his stints at the Attorney General's Office, Wood spent three years as a litigator at the law firm of Phillips Burgess, PLLC (now Dickson Frohlich Phillips Burgess), in Olympia. In that role, he represented municipal governments, public and private corporations and individuals in a range of environmental, land use, public records, contracting and municipal law issues.

Outside the courtroom, Wood served for many years on the executive committee of the Washington State Bar Association's Environmental and Land Use Law Section, including as Chair. He also served as a volunteer attorney at Thurston County Volunteer Legal Services (now Sound Legal Aid), and as the president and vice president of Friends of Capitol Forest, an organization dedicated to improving recreational opportunities in the South Sound area.

Wood moved to Olympia from Seattle in 2008 and has remained active in the community throughout that time. Wood is an avid mountain biker and snowboarder. Wood and his wife, Jocelyn, are also the proud parents of a college sophomore and an Olympia High School junior.

Wood earned his bachelor's and master's degrees with honors from University of North Texas and his law degree with high honors from Seattle University School of Law.