The District and Municipal Court Judges’ Association (DMCJA) hosts an annual You’ve Been Served event to strengthen relationships between state legislators and the courts. This year’s gathering, held on Oct. 22, centered on the theme “Courts in the Community.” For the third consecutive year, the Seattle Municipal Court (SMC) served as a host site, welcoming legislators and colleagues from the King County District Court.
The event provides an opportunity for the judicial and legislative branches to come together and discuss their priorities ahead of the upcoming Washington State legislative session. The 2026 session, scheduled for Jan.12-March 12, is a “short session” year—focused on adjusting previously approved budgets and addressing only time-sensitive or limited policy matters. For the 2026 session, the DMCJA’s key legislative priorities include pursuing a technical correction to the garnishment statutes (RCW 6.27.340 and RCW 6.27.350) and continuing the judicial onboarding program, supported by a $110,000 funding request to the legislature.
State legislators visited courthouses across Washington and joined a virtual statewide discussion. At the Seattle Municipal Court (SMC), participants began with a courthouse tour before hearing virtual opening remarks from Washington Supreme Court Justices and members of the DMCJA leadership team—including SMC Presiding Judge Anita Crawford-Willis, who also serves as DMCJA’s current president. Legislators received an overview of SMC and the challenges shared by both SMC and the King County District Court, followed by an opportunity to enjoy lunch and informal conversations with local legislators and legislative staff. The statewide presentation also highlighted several of SMC’s work, including Community Resource Day, Seattle Youth Traffic Court, Law Day, and the Who’s Who at SMC blog series featured on the court’s website.
After the presentation, dialogue between the legislative and judicial branches began with Presiding Judge Crawford-Willis expressing appreciation to legislators for their work on House Bill 1112—legislation that removed the city residency requirement for pro tem judges in cities with populations over 400,000. This change prompted an amendment to Section 3.33.140 of the Seattle Municipal Code. “This will make hiring of pro tems so much easier for the court,” Judge Crawford-Willis noted.
The courts also shared with lawmakers some of their ongoing challenges, including efforts to broaden the diversity of jury pools and to improve onboarding processes for new city and councilmembers, fostering collaboration across all three branches of government.
Participants in SMC’s event included SMC Presiding Judge Crawford-Willis, Assistant Presiding Judge Damon Shadid, Judge Catherine McDowall, Court Administrator Josh Sattler, King County District Court Chief Presiding Judge Rebecca Robertson and Chief Administrative Officer Othniel Palomino, Sen. Jamie Pedersen, Rep. Brianna Thomas, and Rep. Sharon Tomiko Santos, as well as Anna Johnson and Samir Junejo from the City of Seattle’s Office of Intergovernmental Relations.