Washington State Courts

The judicial system of Washington has two different federal district courts as well as a number of trial courts dealing with everything from small misdemeanors to major criminal cases. Trial court appeals can then be heard further up the pyramid within a court of appeals or finally the supreme court if required.

Washington’s two federal district courts can be a point of origin for federal cases. If these cases are reviewed they go to the 9th Circuit. The courts are split into two districts.

• Eastern District of Washington
• Western District of Washington

These same two districts also have federal bankruptcy courts which only have jurisdiction to deal with bankruptcy cases in Washington.

Washington has Superior Courts as some of the main trial courts, there are 32 of them spread across the 39 counties of the state. These are not intermediate, but they do take in cases from lower courts, and hear their appeals.

There are also District Courts, these deal with misdemeanors and claims of a civil nature that are less than $75,000 in dollar value. It shares jurisdiction of these with the Superior Court.

Finally, lower down the platform you can find Municipal courts, these are split within regions, and some deal with just one city. These courts only have jurisdiction of city ordinance and issues such as parking and traffic offenses are often heard here.

https://access.wa.gov/

Court Name:	Washington Supreme Court
Address:	415 12th Ave SW Olympia, WA 98501-2314
Phone:	(360) 357-2077
Website URL:	https://www.courts.wa.gov/appellate_trial_courts/SupremeCourt/?fa=supremecourt.welcome

Intermediate and Supreme Courts

Washington does have one intermediate court which allows for some appeals. It is non-discretionary, so all appeals have to be dealt with and reviewed, whereas the Supreme Court does not have such obligation and they can say no to dealing with appeals if needed.

The Supreme Court is Washington’s court of last resort. There are 9 judgeships in this court, and it can reject appeals without written explanation. The court deals with over 1,000 cases in a calendar year, typically. 

The Supreme court is also important for overseeing the rest of the state’s judicial system.

Types of Courts in Washington

How to Find Washington Court Records Online

You can use our search tool to find a wide variety of Washington court records. Washington has been collecting data for public records for over 100 years, and all 39 counties have public records. Many have been uploaded online and these help to ensure Washington is operating in line with the Freedom of Information Act. The Washington Public Records Act is the state law dictating this and protecting citizens’ rights to see public records. You can access and copy details from court cases including claimant details, plea records, arrest warrants and more. The majority of these records have been made digital but with some older records there are exceptions where the records need to be requested specifically. 

Washington Counties