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You’ve Been Served 2024

The District & Municipal Court Judges’ Association (DMCJA) convenes an annual You’ve Been Served event to foster connections between state legislators and courts. This year’s event was held on Oct. 23 and had the theme Courts of Limited Jurisdiction (CLJs). Seattle Municipal Court (SMC) participated as a host site for the second year in a row, hosting legislators and colleagues from King County District Court. 

The event is a chance for the judicial and legislative branches of government to come together and share their goals before the start of the Washington state legislative session. The next legislative session runs from Jan. 13-April 27, 2025, and is a “long session” year, which means the state sets the budget for the next two years. Key legislative priorities for DMCJA include a funding request to continue the judicial onboarding program, a request for the legislature to introduce a bill to form a workgroup to update terminology regarding competency to stand trial found in RCW 10.77, and a slight technical change to RCW 12.40.060 (small claims notification). 

State legislators visited courthouses across the state and participated in a virtual statewide conversation. SMC participants started with a tour of the courthouse and then heard virtual opening remarks from Washington State Supreme Court Justices and judges in DMCJA leadership positions. Legislators were provided a general overview of what CLJs do and then participating courts had a chance to have lunch and conversation with their local legislators. 

Participants in SMC’s event included SMC Presiding Judge Faye R. Chess, incoming Presiding Judge Anita Crawford-Willis, Judge Willie Gregory, King County District Court Chief Presiding Judge Rebecca Robertson and Chief Administrative Officer Othniel Palomino, and Anna Johnson and Samir Junejo from the City of Seattle’s Office of Intergovernmental Relations. 

Chess shared some challenges faced by SMC—including how the court is working with the Seattle Police Department to improve the marshal hiring process, as well as working on staff retention strategies to ensure the court is fully staffed and able to perform efficiently. 

Chess also shared SMC’s recent accomplishments, including the introduction of a new case management system, a governance handbook, and hiring the court’s first DEI officer. “The trend across the country is moving away from DEI, but we are moving towards it,” she said.