Cadine Ferguson-Brown appointed to Kitsap County Superior Court, succeeds Sally Olsen

Starting on Jan. 1, Cadine Ferguson-Brown will replace retiring Judge Sally Olsen on the bench of the Kitsap County Superior Court.

Gov. Jay Inslee announced the appointment of Ferguson-Brown to the superior court in a statement on Wednesday. She was appointed by the governor to the Mason County Superior Court in 2022.

“Cadine Ferguson-Brown is an extraordinary judge and is well prepared to serve the Kitsap County community in this role,” Inslee said in the statement. “I’m pleased that she will bring her integrity, work ethic, courage and judicial skills to the Kitsap County Superior Court bench.”

Olsen was appointed to the superior court bench in 2004, according to Kitsap County.

Ferguson-Brown in Mason County

During Ferguson-Brown's tenure in Mason County, she presided over four departments, hearing various complex civil and criminal law matters, according to the statement.

In the juvenile department, the judge worked with staff and stakeholders "to create a more people-friendly courtroom and streamlined processes to reduce delays in other departments," the statement said.

Additionally, Ferguson-Brown joined the Certified Professional Guardianship and Conservatorship Board, the Minority and Justice Commission, the Bench Bar Press and other civil and criminal committees. Previously, she served as a superior court commissioner and owned and operated her practice where she focused on domestic relations, dependency, worker’s compensation and immigration.

Volunteering in Kitsap County, and more

As a Kitsap County resident, Ferguson-Brown served as a board member of Agape Unlimited, a Bremerton-based nonprofit outpatient substance use disorder treatment program. She was also a member of the Redress Committee for the Bremerton NAACP, Inslee said in the statement.

Ferguson-Brown has volunteered with various local organizations such as Plates of Hope and New Day Ministries to serve the unsheltered, and with the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project and the Moderate Means program to provide pro bono or low bono services, the statement said.

"In addition, Ferguson-Brown enjoys working with youths and has mentored girls through Big Brothers Big Sisters, and Jamaican High School students through Dream Jamaica." She has also presented on the Constitution to students from 5th to 8th grade and has been a judge and rater for the YMCA Mock Trials, according to the statement.

The judge received her law degree from the School of Legal Studies at the University of Wolverhampton in the United Kingdom, according to the statement.

This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Cadine Ferguson-Brown replaces Kitsap Superior Court Judge Sally Olsen