Justice for All

Available on-demand

As you embrace the legacy of a trailblazer who redefined the boundaries of possibility, see how Justice Mary Yu ’93 J.D. champions equality as the first Asian, Latina, and LGBTQ+ jurist on the Washington State Supreme Court. Her wisdom transcends the courtroom, offering a roadmap to vanquish doubt through the power of authenticity and her call to always “stay visible.” Fulfill a profound need for belonging, fueling your own dedication to creating a more inclusive world where every individual feels seen, heard, and at home.

120 Years Later: Asian and Pacific Islander Perspectives at Notre Dame is a commemorative series celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Asian Pacific Alumni group and the long history of this community at the University of Notre Dame. The Asian Pacific Alumni of Notre Dame (APA) is a dynamic and welcoming community that brings together alumni, students, and friends to celebrate Asian Pacific cultures and experiences through alumni programming, student outreach, and lifelong connections.

“Justice For All” is presented in partnership with ARC ND, a Notre Dame Alumni Association group dedicated to bringing together Notre Dame LGBTQ+ alumni and allies.

Join fellow Asian Pacific Alumni for Reunion 2026 from June 4-7 to reconnect with classmates, explore campus, and celebrate 120 years of Asian and Pacific Islander excellence at Notre Dame!

The Bridgeport Proving Ground: Calloused Hands and Dominican Dreams

Raised in the Bridgeport neighborhood of Chicago’s South Side, Justice Yu was the daughter of immigrant parents from Mexico and China. Her upbringing was defined by the manual labor of her parents, whose calloused and dirty hands served as a daily reminder of their sacrifices. Her mother’s primary hope was humble: that Mary would graduate high school and learn to type. The specific dream was for Mary to secure a job as a secretary in an office where her hands could stay clean, sparing her the physical toll of the factory floor. This trajectory changed only when her high school teacher, Joan Finnegan, intervened. Finnegan advocated for Yu’s potential, personally visiting her home to convince her parents that “kids like her” belonged in higher education, eventually escorting her to Dominican University to begin her academic journey.

Foundations of Faith and Professional Evolution

Before entering the law, Yu spent a decade at the Archdiocese of Chicago, working under Father Kane. She rose from a secretary to the Director of the Peace and Justice Office, a role that deepened her commitment to community organizing. Seeking more “tools in the toolbox” for social change, she arrived at Notre Dame Law School. Initially feeling lost in the larger university environment, she found her place by serving as an assistant rector at Siegfried Hall. This role allowed her to integrate her legal studies with a vibrant faith community, providing the grounding necessary to navigate the rigors of legal training and find her voice within the Notre Dame family.

Identity and the Mirror of Justice

Following her 2014 appointment to the Washington State Supreme Court, Yu became the first Asian, first Latina, and first LGBTQ+ individual to serve on the state’s highest bench. She views her intersectional identity as a “mirror” for the community, arguing that bringing her whole self to the table enriches judicial deliberations. For Yu, this is not a departure from impartiality but an enhancement of it; by acknowledging the working-class roots and cultural heritage she shares with the public, she ensures the law functions as a responding human experience rather than a detached academic exercise.

Moral Architecture: Courage in Action

Yu’s career is defined by moments of profound moral courage that prioritize human dignity over procedural ease. In December 2012, she officiated Washington’s first same-sex marriages. This historic event was inspired by her law clerk bailiff, Abe, whose own parents—an interracial couple—once had to flee their state to marry legally. To ensure every couple felt recognized, Yu opened the courthouse at midnight and officiated ceremonies until 7:00 AM. This same rejection of “finality” in favor of “human redeemability” defines her judicial philosophy. In her concurrence for State v. Moretti, a case regarding juvenile sentencing, she challenged the notion that young people are unredeemable, advocating for a restorative justice system that calls society to be more than it is today.

Justice Yu’s judicial philosophy underscores that the law must maintain its moral resonance by seeing and hearing the people it serves. Her journey serves as the rhetorical bedrock of her legacy, proving that the legal profession is most powerful when it seeks not just convictions, but the perfection of justice itself.

The Strategic Necessity of Visibility: In periods of institutional or social shifting, remaining visible and present is a vital act of leadership. By claiming one’s place within the fabric of an organization or country, leaders reinforce the legitimacy of diverse perspectives and ensure the “mirror” of leadership reflects the entire community.
Courage as a Habitual Practice: Moral courage is not a sporadic trait but a muscle developed through consistent use. By practicing courage in daily, small-scale decisions, leaders ensure that when they face politically charged or unpopular choices, the “right thing to do” becomes an intuitive, unwavering response.
Mentorship and Professional Retention: Success is a collective achievement with a specific focus on the future. High-impact leadership requires a commitment to the retention of women of color and underrepresented groups in the legal profession, ensuring they have the cohort and confidence to remain and ascend within their chosen fields.
Empathy as a Tool for Institutional Legitimacy: Impartiality must not be confused with detachment. A leader who practices empathy can better hear and see the humanity within a conflict, creating a safe environment that allows for more comprehensive problem-solving and ensures that stakeholders feel recognized by the system.
The Responsibility to Perfect the System: The law is not a static set of rules but an evolvable system. Professionals must use their “tools in the toolbox” to operate within current structures while simultaneously identifying where those systems fail to recognize human dignity, advocating for a moral architecture that believes in human redeemability.

“I don’t feel like I’ve done anything extraordinary. I think those awards are a way of a community recognizing themselves. It really just represents the fact that we’ve all made it in some ways. And so it’s almost a mirror.” — Justice Mary Yu
“Visibility is important and we have learned to feel comfortable, right? That this is indeed our country. These are the principles that we care about and we need to maintain that same course in the sense of just be visible and feel comfortable and know that we are part of the fabric of this remarkable country. We helped create it.” — Justice Mary Yu
“There isn’t a morning that I don’t start off my day saying, ‘A Notre Dame lawyer is a different kind of lawyer,’ and then challenging myself to really rise to that challenge.” — Justice Mary Yu
“I want to see us perfect our system, right? A system that does hold people accountable, but a system also that believes that as humans we are redeemable. It reminds me on a daily basis what my job is as a justice—to again, see and hear and also call us all to be more than who we are today.” — Justice Mary Yu
“And you know what, it’s easy when you start to practice it. When you practice courage, it’s easy. You don’t even begin to think about it. You just say, ‘this is the course, this is the right thing to do,’ and then you just do it. We can’t be people who are wavering because of the positions that we have.” — Justice Mary Yu