Senate confirms Rebecca Pennell of Yakima as federal judge

Nov. 20—The U.S. Senate confirmed Judge Rebecca Pennell, a Yakima resident, as a U.S. District Court judge in Washington’s Eastern District Wednesday.

Pennell has served as a judge in the state Court of Appeals in Spokane since 2016, and is a former federal public defender.

Pennell was recommended for the position by Sen. Patty Murray and nominated by President Joe Biden. The appointment is a lifetime one.

She replaces Judge Salvador Mendoza, Jr., who was confirmed to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in 2022. Biden’s initial nominee for the seat, a Spokane County Superior Court judge, withdrew from consideration after criticism from Senate Republicans, according to a Spokesman-Review article.

The Senate confirmed Pennell in a 50-48 vote.

The Eastern District Court of Washington processes federal legal cases in 20 counties east of the Cascade Mountains, including Yakima County.

Pennell graduated from Richland High School, got her bachelor’s degree at the University of Washington and attended Stanford Law School, according to a news release from Murray’s office. Pennell also studied Spanish in Mérida, Mexico, after law school and is fluent in Spanish.

She moved to Yakima in 1999 where she focused on keeping high-risk students in school through an organization called TeamChild.

She then became a federal public defender and practiced for 15 years a trial lawyer and appellate counsel.

She has been able to be heavily involved in her Yakima community, even while serving as a judge in Spokane.

“Thanks to the court’s excellent technical support staff, I am able to perform the bulk of my judicial work remotely, while continuing to live with my family in Yakima,” Pennell wrote in her biography on Washington’s courts website. “I enjoy running, skiing, and community involvement, especially the Downtown Yakima Rotary Club and Rotary Youth Exchange.”

Jasper Kenzo Sundeen can be reached at jsundeen@yakimaherald.com.