Washington Courts

Call Directions Website Contact the organization

Washington Courts Information on activities of the Washington State Administrative Office of the Courts AOC and the Washington Supreme Court.

Visit us at www.courts.wa.gov Social Media Policy: www.courts.wa.gov/social-media-policy This page is operated solely by the AOC Office of Communications and Public Outreach and does not represent the opinions of justices, judges, or other judicial branch officials. Social Media Policy:https://www.courts.wa.gov/content/publicUpload/Communications/Washington%20Courts%20Social%20Media%20Policy.pdf

This page will relay activities of the AOC and the Supreme Court, and will gladly post items sent us by individual courts and by other judicial branch agencies (statewide judicial branch agencies include the Office of Public Defense, the Commission on Judicial Conduct, the Washington State Bar Association, and the Office of Civil Legal Aid). The Washington Supreme Court was established in 1889 when Washington became a state. The Washington State Administrative Office of the Courts was created by state lawmakers in 1957 to support the courts as a central repository of information and services such as statewide caseload reporting, judicial and court staff training and education, technological programs and services, financial services and more. Washington's judicial branch is a non-unified system, which means courts are not administered and operated out of one central office such as the AOC. Rather, the state Supreme Court is responsible for over-arching governance of the state judicial branch (rules and requirements involving court interpreters and public defenders, for instance) while courts are operated at the local level by presiding judges and court administrators who make budget and other operational decisions for their courts.

You're invited!Please join us for the upcoming webinar: Ensuring Survivors’ and Victims’ Voices and Rights in Criminal L...
10/16/2026

You're invited!
Please join us for the upcoming webinar: Ensuring Survivors’ and Victims’ Voices and Rights in Criminal Legal Proceedings, co-hosted by the Washington State Minority and Justice and Gender and Justice Commissions.
This webinar will provide the legal framework and considerations for how to include victims and survivors in criminal legal proceedings and is a follow-up to the Survivors’ and Victims’ Needs and Preferences Expert Presentations seen at the June Supreme Court Symposium in June, 2026.

Featured Presenter:
Meg Garvin, MA, JD, Mst
Executive Director of the National Crime Victim Law Institute and Professor of Law with the Crime Victim Litigation Clinic at Lewis & Clark Law School.
Professor Garvin is a nationally recognized expert on victims’ rights and co-author of the law school casebook Victims in Criminal Procedure. Her experience includes testimony before Congress and state legislatures, as well as extensive service on committees and advisory groups addressing victims’ rights and the criminal legal system.

This program is presented by the Washington Supreme Court Minority & Justice Commission, in partnership with the Washington State Gender and Justice Commission. CLE & CJE credit is pending.
We’re excited to invite communities across the state to our upcoming webinar!

Registration is limited to the first 500 participants, so we encourage you to register early if you’d like to attend.
See our bio for the registration link.

Please share this event with colleagues, community partners, advocates, students, and others who may be interested.

You're invited!Please join us for the upcoming webinar: Ensuring Survivors’ and Victims’ Voices and Rights in Criminal L...
10/16/2026

You're invited!
Please join us for the upcoming webinar: Ensuring Survivors’ and Victims’ Voices and Rights in Criminal Legal Proceedings, co-hosted by the Washington State Minority and Justice and Gender and Justice Commissions.
This webinar will provide the legal framework and considerations for how to include victims and survivors in criminal legal proceedings and is a follow-up to the Survivors’ and Victims’ Needs and Preferences Expert Presentations seen at the June Supreme Court Symposium in June, 2026.

Featured Presenter:
Meg Garvin, MA, JD, Mst
Executive Director of the National Crime Victim Law Institute and Professor of Law with the Crime Victim Litigation Clinic at Lewis & Clark Law School.
Professor Garvin is a nationally recognized expert on victims’ rights and co-author of the law school casebook Victims in Criminal Procedure. Her experience includes testimony before Congress and state legislatures, as well as extensive service on committees and advisory groups addressing victims’ rights and the criminal legal system.

This program is presented by the Washington Supreme Court Minority & Justice Commission, in partnership with the Washington State Gender and Justice Commission. CLE & CJE credit is pending.
We’re excited to invite communities across the state to our upcoming webinar!

Registration is limited to the first 500 participants, so we encourage you to register early if you’d like to attend.
Registration: https://wacourts.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_EXiNkND5Taul5yz1jHX52A?fbclid=IwY2xjawU-PEFleHRuA2FlbQIxMABwZG9mAWJyaWQRMXJKdlFQTHFCVGRJdzgxblpzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEew8re9eQpY5GNPDHS1MuO2QWfMfOXsp6zG7oEyuyJ6B7N7ELE6enszJTXDHM_aem_fm3klrV6WyETVdqPvau88A #/registration

Please share this event with colleagues, community partners, advocates, students, and others who may be interested.

So excited to see Linnea Anderson receive the NPJS - National Partnership for Juvenile Services Martinek Advocacy Award!...
10/15/2026

So excited to see Linnea Anderson receive the NPJS - National Partnership for Juvenile Services Martinek Advocacy Award!

This award celebrates people who are truly “unstoppable forces” in making a difference for young people and families. And if you know Linnea, you know how perfectly that describes her!

Linnea leads with heart, compassion, and a determination to make things better. As she shared, “This work is my calling.” And it shows in everything she does.

Couldn't be happier to see her recognized for the incredible difference she makes.

10/15/2026

Freedom of the press vs. the right to a fair trial. Can we protect both?
Since 1963, the Bench-Bar-Press Committee has brought journalists, judges, and attorneys together to do just that. Watch to see how collaboration protects our constitutional rights!

10/15/2026

REMINDER: The WA Supreme Court is back in session tomorrow, and we want to remind everyone that the law library opens at 8:00 am on oral argument days. If you need a few minutes to relax before going into the courtroom, or if you need to do some final research, stop by and see us in the Main Reading Room. To view the full Supreme Court calendar, click here: https://www.courts.wa.gov/appellate.../supreme/calendar/

[Image: A vintage alarm clock reading 8:00. The headline indicates that the law library opens early on oral argument days.]

Fall has arrived with cooler weather, children returning to school, and year-end planning and budgeting. We hope it all ...
10/14/2026

Fall has arrived with cooler weather, children returning to school, and year-end planning and budgeting. We hope it all goes well for you.

This edition of Full Court Press brings details of new resources such as a first statewide plan to support self-represented litigants, prepared by the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) Office of Equity and Access; an updated Media Guide to State Courts and the launch of a web-based Law Library for Journalists, developed by the Bench-Bar-Press Committee of Washington; and an upcoming webinar on how the voices of victims and survivors can be recognized during criminal legal proceedings, developed by the Minority and Justice Commission and the Gender and Justice Commission.

Also in this edition, State Court Administrator Dawn Marie Rubio highlights the resilience of Washington courts and staff who continue operating during widespread emergencies that often affect staff members as well as community members; we learn about a national award presented to Rubio this summer, as well as some winners of the WSBA’s APEX awards; we get a peek into a rare Supreme Court visit to a Tribal community; and we learn other news affecting the judicial branch.

View the full magazine here: https://www.courts.wa.gov/newsinfo/content/FullCourtPress2026Volume3.cfm

Be sure to check it out!
10/10/2026

Be sure to check it out!

The Lay Guardian Toolkit is a resource for non-professional guardians to help navigate the guardianship process in Washington State.

Looking for information about upcoming judicial elections in Washington State?Here are some helpful resources to learn m...
10/09/2026

Looking for information about upcoming judicial elections in Washington State?
Here are some helpful resources to learn more about the candidates and Washington's courts.

Washington State Voters' Pamphlet
Read about the candidates in the official voters' pamphlet from the WA Secretary of State https://bit.ly/voterguideWA

TVW -- Washington Public Affairs Network
Watch videos of candidates talking about themselves and why they are running for office. https://tvw.org/video-voters-guide/

Washington Supreme Court
Want to know more about the Washington Supreme Court and what it does?
Visit the official Washington Courts website https://www.courts.wa.gov/appellate_trial_courts/SupremeCourt/?fa=supremecourt.about

Learn about the candidates and make the choice that's right for you.
This post is for voter information only. It does not support or oppose any candidate.

10/08/2026

As the Washington State Office of Equity marks five years of service, Justice Whitener’s guidance to equity practitioners is simple and urgent: don't disengage—engage. Great read!

Address

1206 Quince Street SE
Olympia, WA
98501

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 5pm
Tuesday 8am - 5pm
Wednesday 8am - 5pm
Thursday 8am - 5pm
Friday 8am - 5pm

Telephone

+13607055347

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Washington Courts posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to Washington Courts:

Shortcuts

Share