King County Superior Court
| King County Superior Court | |
|---|---|
 Seal of the Court | |
 King County Courthouse, Seattle | |
| Established | 1889 |
| Jurisdiction | Washington King County |
| Location | King County |
| Composition method | Non-partisan election |
| Authorized by | Constitution of Washington |
| Appeals to | Washington Court of Appeals |
| Appeals from | King County District Court |
| Number of positions | 62 judges |
| Website | https://kingcounty.gov/courts/superior-court.aspx/ Official Website] |
| Presiding Judge (King County Courthouse) | |
| Currently | Patrick Oishi |
| Chief Judge (Maleng Regional Justice Center) | |
| Currently | Veronica Galván |
The Superior Court of Washington for King County (more commonly, the King County Superior Court) is the largest trial court in Washington state. It is based at the King County Courthouse, 516 Third Avenue, in downtown Seattle, Washington. It also operates a juvenile facility and a Regional Justice Center in Kent, southeast of Seattle.
The court has (as of November 2018) 53 judges who have general jurisdiction to hear major civil and criminal cases. The court also has appellate jurisdiction over certain decisions of the district courts, municipal courts, and administrative tribunals.[1]
Current judges[]
| Name | Assumed office | Current term end | Appointed by | Law school | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Judges | |||||
| Presiding Judge | Patrick Oishi | January 2011 | January 13, 2025 | Gov. Christine Gregoire (D) | Seattle University |
| Asst. Presiding Judge | Mary E. Roberts | January 2003 | January 13, 2025 | Gov. Gary Locke (D) | University of Washington |
| Chief Judge | Veronica Galván | December 19, 2014 | January 13, 2025 | Gov. Jay Inslee (D) | University of Washington |
| Chief Civil Court Judge | Regina Cahan | October 1, 2008 | January 13, 2025 | Elected | University of Wisconsin |
| Chief Criminal Court Judge | Karen Donohue | March 2018 | January 13, 2025 | Gov. Jay Inslee (D) | Seattle University |
| Chief Family Court Judge | Janet Helson | March 11, 2015 | January 13, 2025 | Gov. Jay Inslee (D) | University of California, Berkeley |
| Chief Juvenile Court Judge | J. Michael Diaz | January 2018 | January 13, 2023 | Gov. Jay Inslee (D) | Cornell University |
| Drug Court Judge | Dean Lum | 1998 | January 13, 2025 | Gov. Gary Locke (D) | University of Washington |
| Asst. Chief Criminal Court Judge | Melinda Young | January 2, 2019 | January 13, 2025 | Gov. Jay Inslee (D) | University of Washington |
| Asst. Chief Juvenile Court Judge | Marshall Ferguson | 2018 | January 13, 2025 | Gov. Jay Inslee (D) | University of Washington |
| Judge | LeRoy McCullough | January, 1989 | January 13, 2025 | Elected | University of Washington |
| Judge | Julie Spector | February, 2000 | January 13, 2025 | Elected | Seattle University |
| Judge | Douglass North | October 9, 2000 | January 13, 2025 | Elected | University of Washington |
| Judge | Jim Rogers | January 2005 | January 13, 2025 | Elected | Georgetown University |
| Judge | Catherine Shaffer | November, 2000 | January 13, 2025 | Elected | Columbia University |
| Judge | Andrea Darvas | January 2004 | January 13, 2025 | Elected | University of Michigan |
| Judge | Judith Ramseyer | January 2012 | January 13, 2025 | Elected | Seattle University |
| Judge | Jason Poydras | July 8, 2021 | January 13, 2025 | Gov. Jay Inslee (D) | Seattle University |
| Judge | Sue Parisien | January 10, 2013 | January 13, 2025 | Elected | Villanova University |
| Judge | Ken Schubert | January 14, 2013 | January 13, 2025 | Elected | University of Washington |
| Judge | Sean O'Donnell | January 2013 | January 13, 2025 | Elected | Seattle University |
| Judge | Elizabeth Berns | January 2013 | January 13, 2025 | Elected | Seattle University |
| Judge | Susan Amini | May 13, 2013. | January 13, 2025 | Gov. Jay Inslee (D) | University of Maryland |
| Judge | Julia Garratt | July 2013 | January 13, 2025 | Gov. Jay Inslee (D) | Gonzaga University |
| Judge | Chad Allred | May 12, 2014 | January 13, 2025 | Gov. Jay Inslee (D) | University of Texas |
| Judge | John Ruhl | April 1, 2014 | January 13, 2025 | Gov. Jay Inslee (D) | University of Notre Dame |
| Judge | Tanya Thorp | April 1, 2014 | January 13, 2025 | Gov. Jay Inslee (D) | Seattle University |
| Judge | Sam Chung | May 27, 2014 | January 13, 2025 | Gov. Jay Inslee (D) | George Washington University |
| Judge | Johanna Bender | November 2, 2015 | January 13, 2025 | Gov. Jay Inslee (D) | University of Washington |
| Judge | Cathy Moore | November 2016 | January 13, 2025 | Elected | Albany Law School |
| Judge | Kristin Richardson | November 8, 2016 | January 13, 2025 | Elected | Willamette University |
| Judge | David Keenan | January 2017 | January 13, 2025 | Elected | Seattle University |
| Judge | Steve Rosen | January 9, 2017 | January 13, 2025 | Elected | University of Minnesota |
| Judge | Nicole Gaines Phelps | January 9, 2017 | January 13, 2025 | Elected | Indiana University |
| Judge | Matt Williams | January 9, 2017 | January 13, 2025 | Elected | University of Nebraska |
| Judge | John McHale | January 9, 2017 | January 13, 2025 | Elected | Seattle University |
| Judge | Sandra Wildan | April 2, 2018 | January 13, 2023 | Gov. Jay Inslee (D) | New York University |
| Judge | Averil Rothrock | October 28, 2018 | January 13, 2024 | Gov. Jay Inslee (D) | Willamette University |
| Judge | Maureen McKee | August 23, 2018 | January 13, 2025 | Gov. Jay Inslee (D) | Cornell University |
| Judge | Michael Scott | 2018 | January 13, 2024 | Gov. Jay Inslee (D) | Stanford University |
| Judge | Mafé Rajul | 2018 | January 13, 2025 | Gov. Jay Inslee (D) | University of Washington |
| Judge | David A. Steiner | January 8, 2019 | January 13, 2024 | Gov. Jay Inslee (D) | Seattle University |
| Judge | Annette Messitt | January 8, 2019 | January 13, 2024 | Gov. Jay Inslee (D) | DePaul University |
| Judge | Michael Ryan | January 10, 2019 | January 13, 2024 | Gov. Jay Inslee (D) | Georgetown University |
| Judge | Aimee Sutton | February 10, 2019 | January 13, 2024 | Elected | University of Washington |
| Judge | Josephine Wiggs-Martin | March 2019 | January 13, 2024 | Gov. Jay Inslee (D) | University of Washington |
| Judge | Ketu Shah | May 10, 2019 | January 13, 2024 | Gov. Jay Inslee (D) | University of Minnesota |
| Judge | Cindi Port | April 2020 | January 13, 2025 | Gov. Jay Inslee (D) | Gonzaga University |
| Judge | Andrea Robertson | December 31, 2020 | January 13, 2024 | Gov. Jay Inslee (D) | University of Washington |
| Judge | Hillary Madsen | January 11, 2021 | January 13, 2025 | Elected | Seattle University |
| Judge | Adrienne McCoy | TBA | TBA | Gov. Jay Inslee (D) | University of Washington |
| Commissioner | Mark Hillman | - | - | - | Seattle University |
| Commissioner | Hollis Holman | - | - | - | |
| Commissioner | Melinda Taylor Johnson | - | - | - | Seattle University |
| Commissioner | Henry Judson | - | - | - | Lewis & Clark College |
| Commissioner | Jonathon Lack | June 17, 2019 | - | - | University of Richmond School of Law |
| Commissioner | Jennie Laird | - | - | - | Seattle University |
| Commissioner | Leonid Ponomarchuk | - | - | - | Gonzaga University |
| Commissioner | Camille Schaefer | - | - | - | Seattle University |
| Commissioner | Nicole Wager | - | - | - | Seattle University |
Notable judges[]
- Walter B. Beals
- Adam Beeler
- William L. Downing
- Barbara Durham
- Matthew W. Hill
- Faith Ireland
- Richard A. Jones
- Robert S. Lasnik
- Ricardo S. Martinez
- Marsha Pechman
- John S. Robinson
- Stanley C. Soderland
- Gary Little
- Mary Yu
References[]
- ^ See generally Ch. 2.08 RCW.
External links[]
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Categories:
- Government of King County, Washington
- Government of Seattle
- Superior courts in the United States
- Washington (state) state courts
- Washington (state) stubs