From the Desk of the Executive Director
Today, our hearts go out to Judge David Steiner’s family and his loved ones as news of his passing ripples through our legal community. His gentle demeanor, kind spirit, and long-standing presence on the bench will be greatly missed. For those who did not have the pleasure of working with Judge Steiner, allow us to introduce him.
With aspirations to be an investigative journalist, Judge Steiner decided the field wasn’t for him and instead dabbled in counseling. His great-grandfather owned a bicycle shop at the turn of the century and led automobile expeditions to Mt. Rainer, which gave Judge Steiner confidence in himself that he could strive for his dreams. He pursued a law degree at the University of Puget Sound (UPS), now Seattle University School of Law – he loved the idea of having an effect on what we see around us and after practicing both civil and criminal law, he began serving as a pro-tem.
He greatly enjoyed hearing cases and having the ability to make the decision in a case. He had a strong sense of justice all his life and even though he knew he wouldn’t always be right, he still wanted to be a judge. He began his judicial career as a judge for the Northeast Division of the King County District Court in 1996 where he served as president of the Washington State District and Municipal Court Judges Association. Judge Steiner was appointed to King County Superior Court in March of 2019 and I had the pleasure of appearing before him during his year-long stint in Involuntary Treatment Act (ITA) Court.
In his free time, Judge Steiner was a mountain climber. One of his goals was to climb the top 100 peaks in Washington, also known as “The Bulger List.”
Keep climbing Judge Steiner.