# United States District Court for the Western District of Washington

The United States District Court for the Western District of Washington (in case citations, W.D. Wash.) is the federal district court whose jurisdiction comprises the following counties of the state of Washington: Clallam, Clark, Cowlitz, Grays Harbor, Island, Jefferson, King, Kitsap, Lewis, Mason, Pacific, Pierce, San Juan, Skagit, Skamania, Snohomish, Thurston, Wahkiakum, and Whatcom. Its courthouse, built in 2004, is located at 7th and Stewart in Seattle.
As of the 2020 census, 6 million people resided in the Western District, representing 78% of the state's population. The district includes the cities of Bellingham, Bremerton, Seattle, Bellevue, Olympia, Vancouver, Everett, and Tacoma, amongst others.
Cases from the Western District of Washington are appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appealed to the Federal Circuit).
The United States Attorney's Office for the Western District of Washington represents the United States in civil and criminal litigation in the court. As of June 21, 2023, the acting United States attorney is Tessa M. Gorman. The position of United States marshal for the district is vacant.

## Current judges

As of July 18, 2023:
| # | Title | Judge | Duty station | Born | Term of service | Term of service | Term of service | Appointed by |
| # | Title | Judge | Duty station | Born | Active | Chief | Senior | Appointed by |
| 31 | Chief Judge | David Estudillo | Tacoma | 1973 | 2021–present | 2022–present | — | Biden |
| 32 | District Judge | Tana Lin | Seattle | 1966 | 2021–present | — | — | Biden |
| 33 | District Judge | Lauren J. King | Seattle | 1982 | 2021–present | — | — | Biden |
| 34 | District Judge | John H. Chun | Seattle | 1970 | 2022–present | — | — | Biden |
| 35 | District Judge | Jamal Whitehead | Seattle | 1979 | 2023–present | — | — | Biden |
| 36 | District Judge | Kymberly Evanson | Seattle | 1977 | 2023–present | — | — | Biden |
| 37 | District Judge | Tiffany Cartwright | Tacoma | 1985 | 2023–present | — | — | Biden |
| 17 | Senior Judge | Barbara Jacobs Rothstein | Washington, D.C. | 1939 | 1980–2011 | 1987–1994 | 2011–present | Carter |
| 18 | Senior Judge | John C. Coughenour | Seattle | 1941 | 1981–2006 | 1997–2004 | 2006–present | Reagan |
| 19 | Senior Judge | Carolyn R. Dimmick | Seattle | 1929 | 1985–1997 | 1994–1997 | 1997–present | Reagan |
| 20 | Senior Judge | Robert Jensen Bryan | Tacoma | 1934 | 1986–2000 | — | 2000–present | Reagan |
| 22 | Senior Judge | Thomas Samuel Zilly | Seattle | 1935 | 1988–2004 | — | 2004–present | Reagan |
| 24 | Senior Judge | Robert S. Lasnik | Seattle | 1951 | 1998–2016 | 2004–2011 | 2016–present | Clinton |
| 25 | Senior Judge | Marsha J. Pechman | Seattle | 1951 | 1999–2016 | 2011–2016 | 2016–present | Clinton |
| 27 | Senior Judge | Ricardo S. Martinez | Seattle | 1951 | 2004–2022 | 2016–2022 | 2022–present | G.W. Bush |
| 28 | Senior Judge | James Robart | Seattle | 1947 | 2004–2016 | — | 2016–present | G.W. Bush |
| 29 | Senior Judge | Benjamin Settle | Tacoma | 1947 | 2007–2020 | — | 2020–present | G.W. Bush |
| 30 | Senior Judge | Richard A. Jones | Seattle | 1950 | 2007–2022 | — | 2022–present | G.W. Bush |
* ↑ Since taking senior status, Judge Rothstein has sat with the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.

## Former judges

| # | Judge | State | Born–died | Active service | Chief Judge | Senior status | Appointed by | Reason for termination |
| 1 | Cornelius H. Hanford | WA | 1849–1926 | 1905–1912 | — | — | B. Harrison/Operation of law | resignation |
| 2 | George Donworth | WA | 1861–1947 | 1909–1912 | — | — | Taft | resignation |
| 3 | Edward E. Cushman | WA | 1865–1944 | 1912–1939 | — | 1939–1944 | Taft | death |
| 4 | Clinton Woodbury Howard | WA | 1864–1937 | 1912–1913 | — | — | Taft | not confirmed |
| 5 | Jeremiah Neterer | WA | 1862–1943 | 1913–1933 | — | 1933–1943 | Wilson | death |
| 6 | John Clyde Bowen | WA | 1888–1978 | 1934–1961 | 1948–1959 | 1961–1978 | F. Roosevelt | death |
| 7 | Lloyd Llewellyn Black | WA | 1889–1950 | 1939–1950 | — | — | F. Roosevelt | death |
| 8 | Charles H. Leavy | WA | 1884–1952 | 1942–1952 | — | 1952 | F. Roosevelt | death |
| 9 | William James Lindberg | WA | 1904–1981 | 1951–1971 | 1959–1971 | 1971–1981 | Truman | death |
| 10 | George Hugo Boldt | WA | 1903–1984 | 1953–1971 | 1971 | 1971–1984 | Eisenhower | death |
| 11 | William Trulock Beeks | WA | 1906–1988 | 1961–1973 | 1971–1973 | 1973–1988 | Kennedy | death |
| 12 | William Nelson Goodwin | WA | 1909–1975 | 1966–1975 | 1973–1975 | — | L. Johnson | death |
| 13 | Walter Thomas McGovern | WA | 1922–2021 | 1971–1987 | 1975–1987 | 1987–2021 | Nixon | death |
| 14 | Morell Edward Sharp | WA | 1920–1980 | 1971–1980 | — | — | Nixon | death |
| 15 | Donald S. Voorhees | WA | 1916–1989 | 1974–1986 | — | 1986–1989 | Nixon | death |
| 16 | Jack Edward Tanner | WA | 1919–2006 | 1978–1991 | — | 1991–2006 | Carter | death |
| 21 | William Lee Dwyer | WA | 1929–2002 | 1987–1998 | — | 1998–2002 | Reagan | death |
| 23 | Frank Burgess | WA | 1935–2010 | 1994–2005 | — | 2005–2010 | Clinton | death |
| 26 | Ronald B. Leighton | WA | 1951–present | 2002–2019 | — | 2019–2020 | G.W. Bush | retirement |
* ↑ Reassigned from the District of Washington.
* 1 2 Jointly appointed to the Eastern and Western Districts of Washington.
* ↑ From 1951 to 1961, Judge Lindberg was jointly appointed to the Eastern and Western Districts of Washington.
* ↑ In 1978, Judge Tanner was jointly appointed to the Eastern and Western Districts of Washington.

## Chief judges

Chief judges have administrative responsibilities with respect to their district court. Unlike the Supreme Court, where one justice is specifically nominated to be chief, the office of chief judge rotates among the district court judges. To be chief, a judge must have been in active service on the court for at least one year, be under the age of 65, and have not previously served as chief judge.
A vacancy is filled by the judge highest in seniority among the group of qualified judges. The chief judge serves for a term of seven years, or until age 70, whichever occurs first. The age restrictions are waived if no members of the court would otherwise be qualified for the position.
When the office was created in 1948, the chief judge was the longest-serving judge who had not elected to retire, on what has since 1958 been known as senior status, or declined to serve as chief judge. After August 6, 1959, judges could not become or remain chief after turning 70 years old. The current rules have been in operation since October 1, 1982.

## Succession of seats

Seat 1 :
| Seat reassigned from the District of Washington on March 2, 1905 by 33 Stat. 824 ||||
| Hanford | 1905–1912 |
| Howard | 1912–1913 |
| Neterer | 1913–1933 |
| Bowen | 1934–1961 |
| Beeks | 1961–1973 |
| Voorhees | 1974–1986 |
| Dwyer | 1987–1998 |
| Pechman | 1999–2016 |
| Lin | 2021–present |
Seat 2 :
| Seat established on March 2, 1909 by 35 Stat. 686 ||||
| Donworth | 1909–1912 |
| Cushman | 1912–1939 |
| Leavy | 1942–1952 |
| Boldt | 1953–1971 |
| Sharp | 1971–1980 |
| Coughenour | 1981–2006 |
| Jones | 2007–2022 |
| Whitehead | 2023–present |
Seat 3 :
| Seat established on May 31, 1938 by 52 Stat. 585 ||||
| Seat made concurrent with Eastern District on January 20, 1940 by 54 Stat. 16 ||||
| Black | 1939–1950 |
| Seat assigned solely to Western District on May 19, 1961 by 75 Stat. 80 ||||
| Lindberg | 1951–1971 |
| McGovern | 1971–1987 |
| Zilly | 1988–2004 |
| Robart | 2004–2016 |
| Chun | 2022–present |
Seat 4 :
| Seat established on May 19, 1961 by 75 Stat. 80 (concurrent with Eastern District) ||||
| Goodwin | 1966–1975 |
| Seat assigned solely to Western District on October 20, 1978 by 92 Stat. 1629 ||||
| Tanner | 1978–1991 |
| Burgess | 1994–2005 |
| Settle | 2007–2020 |
| Cartwright | 2023–present |
Seat 5 :
| Seat established on October 20, 1978 by 92 Stat. 1629 ||
| Rothstein | 1980–2011 |
| Seat abolished on September 1, 2011 (temporary judgeship expired) ||
Seat 6 :
| Seat established on July 10, 1984 by 98 Stat. 333 ||||
| Dimmick | 1985–1997 |
| Lasnik | 1998–2016 |
| King | 2021–present |
Seat 7 :
| Seat established on July 10, 1984 by 98 Stat. 333 (temporary) ||||
| Seat made permanent on December 1, 1990 by 104 Stat. 5089 ||||
| Bryan | 1986–2000 |
| Leighton | 2002–2019 |
| Estudillo | 2021–present |
Seat 8 :
| Seat established in September 2003 pursuant to 104 Stat. 5089 (temporary) ||||
| Seat became permanent upon the abolition of Seat 5 on September 1, 2011 ||||
| Martinez | 2004–2022 |
| Evanson | 2023–present |