As we wind down the year and folks take well-earned leave during the holidays, for the Court it is a time of transition. We will have a new presiding judge, Judge Averil Rothrock, and a new assistant presiding, Judge Tanya Thorp.

As we are in the middle of harvest season and the Festival of Lights, I want to thank the King County Bar community for being partners with our court to improve accessibility to courts, championing the rule of law, and ensuring we work toward a more civil society. The work each of you does — from the mundane to the complex, from explaining court proceedings to your neighbors to zealously advocating your clients’ interests — is noteworthy. It is that passion for the rule of law that makes our society function.

As we are in the middle of harvest season and the Festival of Lights, I want to thank the King County Bar community for being partners with our court to improve accessibility to courts, championing the rule of law, and ensuring we work toward a more civil society. The work each of you does — from the mundane to the complex, from explaining court proceedings to your neighbors to zealously advocating your clients’ interests — is noteworthy. It is that passion for the rule of law that makes our society function.

As we enter the fall season, many law practices are ramping up to prepare trials and other matters to be completed before the end of the year. Our judges and staff are also preparing for the business of the fall season. Courts have the task of preparing for what comes in the door, creating systems that can handle the volume of cases that come forward for resolution. Our society depends on the systems the courts create to handle disputes that require resolution. Those types of disputes change over time. For example, what used to be tree-cutting arguments between neighbors are now disputes that are regulated by environmental statutes, land preservation statutes, and growth management principles.

A timeline can paradoxically seem both short and distant. How we perceive time and how that perception affects our work has a deep impact on the Court and the litigants.

A timeline can paradoxically seem both short and distant. How we perceive time and how that perception affects our work has a deep impact on the Court and the litigants.

Greetings, and happy summer. I hope you are planning for vacation travels, family time, or simply rest and relaxation. Summer is often a time for optimism as we rejuvenate with some well-earned time off and anticipate a busy fall season.

Greetings, and happy summer. I hope you are planning for vacation travels, family time, or simply rest and relaxation. Summer is often a time for optimism as we rejuvenate with some well-earned time off and anticipate a busy fall season.

Presiding Judge Ketu Shah draws attention to the escalating threats and vilification of judges — fueled by social media, public officials, and general misunderstanding of the judicial role — which pose a serious risk to civil society and the rule of law. Judge Shah underscores that disagreement with judicial decisions should be addressed through the appellate process, not personal attacks or calls for impeachment. He asks the legal community to actively support initiatives that promote understanding of the courts and protect the judiciary from politicization and violence. 

As legal professionals, we are experiencing a confluence of events that are testing the bounds of the rule of law. Some law firms are being pressured to make choices about who they represent and what access they will have. There are judges’ orders that are being attacked for their independence. And finally, we are seeing extreme vitriol towards people who disagree with each other.