Rosselle Pekelis

Rosselle Pekelis (1938 – December 9, 2019) was an Italian-born American attorney and jurist who served as a Judge of the Washington Supreme Court. She previously served as a judge on the King County Superior Court from 1981 to 1986, the Court of Appeals from 1986 to 1995, and the Supreme Court in 1995 to fill a vacancy. Early life and education Pekelis was born in Florence, Italy, and raised in Larchmont, New York, to a family of Italian Jews who escaped France during the Nazi Germany invasion of 1940. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Stephens College and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Missouri School of Law. Career