Ireland is judged a powerlifting winner

Associated Press

OLYMPIA — Justice may be blind. In Washington state, it’s also buff.

State Supreme Court Justice Faith Ireland proved she is more than just a legal powerhouse earlier this month when she won the National Powerlifting Championship in Chicago.

Granted, she was the only one in her age (59) and weight (132) class. Still, you don’t want to mess with a judge who can bench press 110 pounds, squat lift 192 pounds and dead lift 236 pounds.

Word to the wise: Don’t be in contempt of her court.

"I felt absolutely elated," Ireland said Wednesday of her win. Next, she’ll compete in the world championship in Argentina in October — provided it doesn’t conflict with oral arguments.

Ireland, a petite woman who often accessorizes her black robes with colorful scarves, was elected to the state’s high court in 1998. She started working out with weights to rehabilitate her back after a car accident 15 years ago. She competed in the national championship last year but failed to make a clean squat lift. This year, she was out for justice.

"I felt like I had something to prove," said Ireland, who recently recovered from shoulder surgeries. "I felt vindicated."

Her eight fellow Supreme Court colleagues are talking about traveling to Argentina to watch her in the world championship, which would surely provide the most distinguished cheering section in the crowd. Her clerk, Anne Watson, said Ireland has motivated her to start working out.

"She’s an inspiration," Watson said.

Ireland was tickled when she sat next to a 60-year-old woman competitor at the championships who started powerlifting a year ago after reading a newspaper article about the buff justice.

Ireland commutes from Seattle to Olympia for work and squeezes training sessions into her already busy judicial schedule.

"Being a Supreme Court justice requires a certain amount of stamina," Ireland said. "It takes a lot out of you. I find that being strong really helps a lot."