Judge Veronica Galván - Superior Court

Courtroom Number: 1A

Bailiff: Sonam Lata

Department: 21

Assignment: Chief Juvenile Court

Biography

Judge Galván joined the King County Superior Court bench on January 22, 2015. She assumed the position previously occupied by Judge Gregory Canova, who retired in December 2014.

Judge Galván was born in Bremerton and grew up in the Yakima Valley, where her father picked fruit for a living. She was the first member of her family to graduate from a university, earning a bachelor’s degree in sociology, with an emphasis in criminology, from Western Washington University and later a law degree from the University of Washington School of Law.

After graduating from law school, Judge Galván practiced as an Assistant City Attorney for the City of Seattle, where she specialized in the prosecution of domestic violence cases. She then served as an Administrative Law Judge in the Office of Administrative Hearings from 2002 until 2007, when she was appointed to the Des Moines Municipal Court. During her tenure in Des Moines, she implemented the only Spanish-language traffic court in the State of Washington.

Judge Galván has served as a faculty member for the Washington State Judicial College and as President of the District and Municipal Court Judges Association. Judge Galván also teaches Spanish for lawyers at Seattle University School of Law. She received the Juez Excepcional award from the Latino Bar Association of Washington in 2014.