Snohomish County Superior Court Judges and Departments

Each Superior Court judge and his or her respective courtroom is designated by a numerical department number. Departments 1 through 6 are located on the second floor of the courthouse. Departments 7 and 8 are located on third floor and departments 9 through 12 are on the fifth floor see (map).  Each judge maintains a full time staff consisting of a Court Clerk, a Court Reporter, and a Law Clerk. 

Court Clerks

The Court Clerk is deputized by the County Clerk and is employed through the Clerk's Office to maintain an impartial and unbiased record.  The court clerk is responsible for keeping accurate and impartial minutes of all matters that occur in open court. They are also responsible for marking, inventorying, and securing trial exhibits. All questions regarding trial exhibits should be addressed to the court clerk of that respective department. For more information about the function of court clerks, please see Snohomish County Clerk’s Office.

Court Reporters

Every department is equipped with a professionally trained and certified court reporter employed individually by the judge of that department. Court reporters carefully listen and make an accurate record of all proceedings that occur in open court. These records are created through a careful computer aided transcription process. All questions regarding trial transcripts for review or appeal should be directed to the Court Reporter of that respective department. Court reporters generally charge a fee for the compilation of transcripts.

Law Clerks

In addition to a court clerk and court reporter, each judge individually employs a law clerk. Law clerks act as the judge’s personal assistant and liaison. They engage in legal research and advise their respective judges on various legal matters occurring in their departments. Each law clerk is expected to be familiar with all aspects of Superior Court procedure and protocol. Additional responsibilities include acting as court bailiff pursuant to Snohomish County Local Rules and liaison to the media and attorneys. All questions regarding scheduling and departmental procedure should be addressed to the law clerk of that department. Each law clerk must be a graduate of an accredited national Law School and in most instances, a licensed member of the Washington State Bar Association. Law clerkships generally last from one to two years depending on the preference of their respective judges.

For a full informational list of judges and their departments, including staff and phone numbers, please see the Judicial Schedules and Contacts.