Seattle attorney Matthew Segal appointed to Public Disclosure Commission

Governor Bob Ferguson has appointed Seattle attorney and former King County Superior Court judge Matthew Segal to the Washington Public Disclosure Commission. 

“Now more than ever it's important that we act with transparency and that we get it right when it comes to campaigns and elections,” Segal said, adding that he is looking forward to serving as a fair and neutral voice on the Commission and prioritizing education and guidance for filers.  

Segal is a Seattle University School of Law graduate and began his legal career clerking for Justice Charles W. Johnson of the Washington State Supreme Court. He has worked in private practice as well as on the bench, and is a founding partner of Seattle’s Pacifica Law Group. He has also served as an adjunct professor at Seattle University School of Law. 

His first meeting with the Commission will be on May 28. His appointment fills one of two vacancies on the five-member board. Segal is filling position formerly held by Allen Hayward, who resigned in January 2025. Segal's term runs through 2030. 

The PDC was created in 1972 by I-276, which passed with more than 70 percent of the vote. The agency, governed by a Commission appointed by the governor, receives more than 95,000 reports on political contributions and spending from candidates, political committees, lobbyists and other filers annually, and maintains millions of public records available online.