About Charles K. Wiggins
Charles K. Wiggins, 77, American jurist, justice of the Washington Supreme Court (2011–2020), complications from Parkinson's disease.
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Full Biography
|Charles Kenneth Wiggins (September 7, 1947 – May 27, 2025) was an American judge who was member of the Washington Supreme Court. He was elected to the court in 2010, defeating incumbent Richard B. Sanders.
Biography
Early life and education
Wiggins was born on September 7, 1947. He grew up the son of a career warrant officer and was a Boy Scout Eagle Scout. Wiggins attended Princeton University on Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps scholarship, graduating magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. He then served in the United States Army Military Intelligence Corps for four years, rising to the rank of Captain and earning his Master of Business Administration in night school. He attended Duke Law School with help from the G.I. Bill and was admitted to the bar in 1976.
Career
In private practice, Wiggins was a name partner with the firm of Edwards, Sieh, Wiggins & Hathaway, and later where he focused primarily on in appeals, both civil and criminal, in the State Supreme Court, the State Court of Appeals, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and once as co-counsel in the United States Supreme Court, but also tried cases throughout Washington state. Later he established the firm of Wiggins & Masters PLLC on Bainbridge Island handling exclusively appellate cases. He served as a judge on Division Two of the Washington Court of Appeals,. He also served as a pro-tempore superior court judge in a number of cases in King and Jefferson Counties and as a pro-tempore district court judge in Kitsap County.
Wiggins served on the Washington State Bar Rules Committee, the Disciplinary Board, task forces drafting and revising the rules that govern many aspects of law. He served as president-elect, president, and past president of the Washington Chapter of the American Judicature Society, working to help educate the public about judicial elections and to improve judicial elections generally. He worked with a coalition of lawyers, bar associations and government groups to establish the nonpartisan award-winning website Voting For Judges.
In October 2018, Wiggins joined the majority when the court abolished the state's death penalty because they found its racist imposition violated the Constitution of Washington.
On January 16, 2020, Wiggins announced his retirement, effective at the end of March 2020.
Death
Wiggins died May 27, 2025, at the age of 77.
Content from Wikipedia — licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_K._Wiggins
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 16 questions
Questions drawn from Charles K. Wiggins's archived record and the sources above.
1.What was the date of birth of Charles Kenneth Wiggins?
- A.September 7, 1950
- B.January 16, 2020
- C.September 7, 1947correct
- D.May 27, 2025
Charles Kenneth Wiggins was born on September 7, 1947.
Source: early life and education section
2.At which university did Charles Kenneth Wiggins complete his undergraduate studies?
- A.Duke University
- B.Princeton Universitycorrect
- C.University of Washington
- D.Harvard University
Charles Kenneth Wiggins attended Princeton University on an Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps scholarship.
Source: early life and education section
3.What military rank did Charles Kenneth Wiggins attain while serving in the United States Army Military Intelligence Corps?
- A.Major
- B.Captaincorrect
- C.Lieutenant
- D.Colonel
Charles Kenneth Wiggins rose to the rank of Captain while serving in the United States Army Military Intelligence Corps.
Source: early life and education section
4.In what year was Charles Kenneth Wiggins admitted to the bar?
- A.1970
- B.1980
- C.2010
- D.1976correct
Charles Kenneth Wiggins was admitted to the bar in 1976.
Source: early life and education section
5.Whom did Charles Kenneth Wiggins defeat when he was elected to the Washington Supreme Court in 2010?
- A.James Hathaway
- B.Richard B. Sanderscorrect
- C.John Masters
- D.William Sieh
Charles Kenneth Wiggins was elected to the Washington Supreme Court in 2010, defeating incumbent Richard B. Sanders.
Source: introduction
6.Which firm did Charles Kenneth Wiggins establish on Bainbridge Island to handle exclusively appellate cases?
- A.Wiggins & Sanders Law Group
- B.Wiggins & Masters PLLCcorrect
- C.Edwards, Sieh, Wiggins & Hathaway
- D.Kitsap Appellate Partners
Charles Kenneth Wiggins established the firm of Wiggins & Masters PLLC on Bainbridge Island to handle exclusively appellate cases.
Source: career section
7.Charles Kenneth Wiggins served as a pro-tempore district court judge in which location?
- A.Kitsap Countycorrect
- B.King County
- C.Bainbridge Island
- D.Jefferson County
Charles Kenneth Wiggins served as a pro-tempore district court judge in Kitsap County.
Source: career section
8.What website did Charles Kenneth Wiggins work to establish to educate the public about judicial elections?
- A.Washington Courts Online
- B.Fair Election Monitor
- C.Voting For Judgescorrect
- D.Judicial Watch
Charles Kenneth Wiggins worked with a coalition of lawyers and groups to establish the award-winning website Voting For Judges.
Source: career section
9.What was the reason Charles Kenneth Wiggins and the court abolished the state's death penalty in 2018?
- A.Lack of sufficient evidence
- B.Federal court mandate
- C.Racist imposition violating the constitutioncorrect
- D.High cost of litigation
In 2018, the court abolished the death penalty because its racist imposition violated the Constitution of Washington.
Source: career section
10.When did Charles Kenneth Wiggins announce his retirement from the Washington Supreme Court?
- A.May 27, 2025
- B.October 1, 2018
- C.March 31, 2020
- D.January 16, 2020correct
Charles Kenneth Wiggins announced his retirement on January 16, 2020, with the effective date at the end of March 2020.
Source: career section
11.What was the profession of Charles Kenneth Wiggins' father?
- A.Lawyer
- B.Judge
- C.University professor
- D.Career warrant officercorrect
Charles Kenneth Wiggins grew up the son of a career warrant officer.
Source: early life and education section
12.At what age did Charles Kenneth Wiggins die?
- A.80
- B.77correct
- C.72
- D.75
Charles Kenneth Wiggins died on May 27, 2025, at the age of 77.
Source: death section
13.What was the primary focus of Charles Kenneth Wiggins' work as a name partner at Edwards, Sieh, Wiggins & Hathaway?
- A.Real estate litigation
- B.Corporate contract law
- C.Appeals in civil and criminal casescorrect
- D.Criminal defense only
In private practice, Charles Kenneth Wiggins focused primarily on appeals, both civil and criminal.
Source: career section
14.What organization did Charles Kenneth Wiggins serve as president for, focusing on improving judicial elections?
- A.Washington Judicial Council
- B.Supreme Court Justice Association
- C.American Judicature Societycorrect
- D.American Bar Association
Charles Kenneth Wiggins served as president of the Washington Chapter of the American Judicature Society.
Source: career section
15.What health condition contributed to the death of Charles Kenneth Wiggins?
- A.Stroke
- B.Heart failure
- C.Cancer
- D.Parkinson's diseasecorrect
Charles Kenneth Wiggins died from complications related to Parkinson's disease.
Source: introduction
16.What extracurricular involvement did Charles Kenneth Wiggins have during his youth?
- A.Boy Scout Eagle Scoutcorrect
- B.University athletic team
- C.High school debate captain
- D.Volunteer rescue worker
Charles Kenneth Wiggins was a Boy Scout Eagle Scout while growing up.
Source: early life and education section
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