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Judge Melinda Young - Superior Court
- Courtroom Number: E-1201
- Bailiff: Jennifer McBeth
- Department: 6
- Assignment: Chief Criminal
Biography
Judge Young joined the King County Superior Court bench on January 2nd, 2019. She was appointed by Governor Inslee to the position previously occupied by Judge Barbara Linde, who retired in December of 2018.
Prior to joining the bench, Judge Young worked at the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for over 20 years, most recently as the chair of the Economic Crimes Unit focusing on elder abuse, identity theft, and complex fraud cases. She helped to create King County’s Mental Health Court in 1999, which emphasizes treatment and housing for the criminal defendants who have persistent mental illness. In 2004, she oversaw the retrials of 102 murder cases reversed by the Washington State Supreme Court.
Judge Young currently serves on the King County Bar Association’s Diversity Committee. She is the recipient of the Randy Revelle Award for Lifetime Achievement in Mental Health Advocacy and the Matthew Simeone ASIS Award for excellence in creating public-private solutions to identity theft challenges.
Judge Young earned her law degree with honors from the University of Washington and graduated summa cum laude from Washington State University, where she majored in communications.
Judge Young served as the Court’s Assistant Chief Criminal Judge in 2021 and as the Chief Juvenile Judge in 2023. Judge Young is currently the Chief Criminal Judge at the King County Courthouse in Seattle. Judge Young serves on the Executive Committee and is a past co-chair of the Jury Committee.
Services
Hearing requests
Dispositive motions are heard on Fridays. Judge Young requests that you check with the opposing counsel/party before scheduling any hearing in order to make sure that the date is mutually agreeable. Doing so reduces the need to reschedule hearings due to conflicts. Any request for a dispositive motion hearing must be emailed to the court and include the
- Case number and name
- Names, phone numbers and email addresses of all counsel and parties
- Nature of hearing
The Court typically allots 1 hour for dispositive motions. Additional time may be provided on hearings involving multiple parties or complex motions. Please advise the bailiff if additional time is being requested. Note: Most motions do not require oral argument under the Civil or Local Rules. If a party would like to request oral argument, the motion should be noted pursuant to the applicable court rules, simply noting in the upper right hand corner of the working papers “Oral Argument Requested.” If, after reviewing all briefing, the Court determines oral argument is appropriate, the bailiff will contact the parties and set a mutually acceptable time for oral argument.
Working copies
Judge Young’s court is paperless. Please use the Clerk’s Office e-working copies service, provide a sharefile link, or submit your working copies on a flash drive or CD. The flash drive or CD should be delivered to the Judges’ Mailroom, C-203, with Judge Young’s name and the case information clearly marked. Judge Young will accept stipulated and agreed orders via email, provided they comply with LCR 7(b)(4)(H). Please send to the bailiff at the email address above. The proposed order should be submitted in Word format and signed by all counsel/parties.
Digitally recorded courtroom
The court proceedings in Department 6 are recorded by FTR Gold equipment which digitally records all proceedings. If you are requesting a copy of a recording, you will need to submit a completed CD Request Form to the Clerk’s Office. If the parties are requesting a court reporter for a hearing/trial, please notify the bailiff as soon as possible.
Please notify the court immediately if your case settles or you need to strike a motion.
Weddings
Judge Young performs weddings Monday through Thursday at the King County Courthouse in Seattle. Please call 206-477-1361 or email the bailiff at young.court@kingcounty.gov for availability and fees.