| Court Name: | Seattle Municipal Court |
| Imagesize2: | 200px |
| Established: | 1891 |
| Authority: | Constitution of Washington City of Seattle Charter |
| Appealsto: | King County Superior Court |
| Website: | https://www.seattle.gov/courts |
| Chiefjudgetitle: | Presiding Judge |
| Chiefjudgename: | Faye R. Chess |
| Chiefjudgetitle2: | Assistant Presiding Judge |
| Chiefjudgename2: | Andrea Chin |
| Jurisdiction: | Seattle, Washington |
| Location: | Seattle, Washington |
| Type: | Seven elected judges; five appointed magistrates |
The Seattle Municipal Court is a city court of limited jurisdiction in King County, Washington.[1] It was created in 1891 by the Washington State Legislature.[2] The court handles misdemeanors, gross misdemeanors, civil offenses, and infractions.[1]
Seattle Police Court was the precursor to the Municipal Court.[2] Justices were appointed by the city council among King County Justices of the Peace serving in Seattle.[1] The 1890 Freeholders Charter established a police court in Seattle, but the provision was repealed in 1892 after a state law created a municipal court for the city.[2] The Municipal court was created to be a "court of limited jurisdiction" and heard cased involving violations of state laws and city ordinances in city jurisdiction.[2]
The current Municipal Court was created in 1955 and has jurisdiction over violations of all city ordinances and hears misdemeanor cases.[1] [2] Municipal justices are elected to their positions.[2]
The Seattle Municipal Court serves the City of Seattle.
According to Seattle City Ordinance 3.33.010, "[T]he purpose of the Court is to try violations of City ordinances and all other actions brought to enforce or recover license penalties or forfeitures declared or given by any such ordinances and perform such other duties as may be authorized by law."[3]
The administration of security is handled by the Seattle Municipal Court Marshals, who are both law enforcement and security officers for the Seattle Municipal Court.[4]
| Judges | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Presiding Judge | Faye R. Chess | April 2018 | January 2027 | University of Cincinnati | |
| Asst. Presiding Judge | Andrea Chin | January 2018 | January 2025 | Loyola Marymount University | |
| Judge | Willie Gregory | January 2011 | January 2027 | Seattle University | |
| Judge | Damon Shadid | January 2014 | January 2027 | University of Houston | |
| Judge | Anita Crawford-Willis | January 2017 | January 2027 | Seattle University | |
| Judge | Catherine McDowall | September 2020 | January 2027 | University of Virginia | |
| Judge | Pooja Vaddadi | January 2023 | January 2027 | Seattle University | |
| Magistrates | |||||
| Magistrate | Mary Lynch | - | - | Seattle University | |
| Magistrate | Robert Chung | - | - | Seattle University | |
| Magistrate | Seth Niesen | - | - | Gonzaga University | |
| Magistrate | Noah Weil | - | - | Seattle University | |
| Magistrate | CURRENTLY VACANT | - | - | ||