Gov. Chris Gregoire today announced the appointments of Edmund Murphy and Elizabeth Martin to the Pierce County Superior Court.

Murphy currently is a deputy prosecuting attorney with the Pierce County prosecutor’s office. Murphy became a deputy prosecuting attorney in 1984. During many years as a felony division trial attorney he prosecuted cases ranging from Class C felonies to aggravated murder. For five years, Murphy served as felony division chief. Murphy has held additional supervisory roles at the prosecutor’s office including juvenile division chief, misdemeanor division chief, drug trial team supervisor and supervisor of the robbery/assault trial team. Murphy also helped establish the Pierce County Drug Court. Since last July, Murphy has been a civil division attorney — serving as a legal advisor to Pierce County agencies. In 2005 Murphy was presented the Civility Award by the Honorable Robert J. Bryan Chapter of the American Inns of Court, a group of judges and lawyers who hold programs and discussions on professionalism and ethics.

Outside of the prosecutor’s office, Murphy has been an active volunteer in his community, serving as school commission chair at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic School since 2005. Murphy has also been a volunteer judge for the University Place Youth Court. Murphy earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Washington before attending the University of Puget Sound School of Law. His appointment to Department 9 of the Pierce County Superior Court is effective May 17.

Since 1983, Martin has been an attorney at Gordon Thomas Honeywell LLP in Tacoma.uring her time at Gordon Thomas Honeywell, Martin represented both plaintiffs and defendants in a wide range of civil matters, including labor and employment law, personal injury, and products liability. From 2003 to 2008, Martin also served as a pro tem judge for the Pierce County Superior Court, where she presided over jury and bench trials. She has served as a mediator in state and federal courts, and is a volunteer mediator for the Pierce County Dispute Resolution Center. Prior to joining Gordon Thomas Honeywell, Martin was a judicial clerk for Washington State Supreme Court Justice Charles Stafford. Martin is a regular volunteer for the YMCA Youth in Government mock trial competition. She has also served as a member of the Tacoma Art Museum Activities Council, and as an elder at her church.

Martin earned a bachelor’s degree in American studies from the College of Idaho before attending the Willamette University College of Law. Her appointment to Department 16 of the Pierce County Superior Court will be effective later this month.