From the Desk of the Presiding Judge-- The Court Welcomes Two New Judges
By Judge Ketu Shah
Greetings, I hope as you transition to spring, you enjoy some last moments of snow (as little as we have received this year!). We have two judicial colleagues to introduce and are excited for them to join our bench. We have also received new data on last year’s cases and what we can look forward to.
The good news is the number of criminal cases pending is getting closer to what was pending before the pandemic. At the end of 2019, we had 3,564 criminal cases pending and at the end of 2023 we had 3,919 criminal cases pending. This is considerably lower than the pandemic peak of 6,083 criminal cases pending in 2020. This reduction of the criminal backlog was because of KCBA advocacy, commitment by the King County Council and Executive to dedicate pandemic federal funds to assist the courts, and the hard work of the criminal department, PAO, DPD, and DAJD to prioritize cases. This hard work paid off and we are very close to erasing the criminal backlog. We still have many complicated and serious class A felony cases pending, in some cases, double the number before the pandemic. These serious cases take longer to investigate and bring to trial because of complex forensic evidence and the parties are very careful and deliberate because of the serious consequences. We are grateful for all those involved to prioritize these cases and provide some measure of closure.
In our civil departments, we are seeing the same steady number of cases pending as we had before the pandemic. However, there has been a substantial increase in Unlawful Detainers (UD), Civil Protection Orders (CPO), and Probate/Guardianship matters. For example, in 2022 we had 2317 UD cases filed, and in 2023 we had 4542 UD cases filed. And for CPO cases, in 2022 we had 4,027 cases filed and in 2023 we had 5,065 cases filed. These increases have put an incredible strain on our Ex Parte department, which is often the first-place people come to when they are accessing our courts. We tried to persuade the legislature for additional funding to support the ex parte department but were unsuccessful. We are trying to look at creative ways to apply our resources so these cases do not languish otherwise the calendars become congested and the time for a hearing is delayed. We often hear parties very frustrated that their hearing will not occur for months because our calendars are too full. One of our solutions is to create a more nimble calendaring system that is accurate in real time so as cases resolve, another case can fill the spot. Our IT team has been working on this internal application for several months and we launched a few weeks ago. We are hopeful that this will help, but ultimately, we need investment in the courts to better serve the public.
We are excited to welcome two new judicial colleagues. Judge Nick Straley was employed by Columbia Legal Services for 26 years practicing as their litigation director in a wide range of subject matters, including representing tenants and other people in housing related matters, consumers in disputes with creditors, workers in disputes with employers and regulators, and incarcerated persons in matters related to their confinement. He has litigated both in state and federal courts, including significant complex civil and class action litigation. Judge Straley also has a long history of being active in his community. Since 2021 he has served on the YouthCare Board of Directors, an organization that works to end youth homelessness. Judge Straley earned his bachelor’s degree from Oberlin College and earned his law degree from Cornell Law School. He will start on March 5.
Judge Angela Kaake was a prosecuting attorney at the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office (KCPAO) for 22 years. She was part of the leadership team in the KCPAO’s Domestic Violence Unit. Over the last five years, Judge Kaake held a trial supervisory position, during which time she supervised, mentored, and developed over 35 attorneys. Judge Kaake assisted in a partnership with her office that resulted in the creation of Survivors FIRST (Facilitating Interventions and Resources for Survivors of Trauma), a program that focuses on women of color who have been arrested or charged and diverts them from the criminal justice system. From 2019 to 2023 she served on the board of the Pacific Northwest Women’s Lacrosse Association, and previously served as a youth lacrosse coach and referee. Judge Kaake earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington and her law degree from Seattle University School of Law.
We are excited to have new colleagues and will be orienting them for a couple weeks before they hit the ground running. With their numerous years of experience, they are welcome additions to the bench.
As always, we welcome feedback and conversation on how our court can serve the King County Bar and the members of our community. Please reach out to further that conversation.
