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04

  • Courtroom Number: 4A
  • Bailiff: Carly Bouton
  • Department: 52
  • Assignment: Juvenile Offender

Biography

Judge Richardson was elected to an open seat on the King County Superior Court bench in 2016. Judge Richardson earned her bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Washington State University. She worked as a newspaper and wire service reporter before attending Willamette University College of Law, where she was Executive Editor of the Willamette Law Review. Before taking the bench, she spent 27 years at the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. She tried more than 100 jury trials, including 25 murder trials, and headed the Cold Case Homicide Unit. Judge Richardson also taught trial advocacy as an adjunct professor at Seattle University. Judge Richardson was co-chair of the Washington Pattern Instruction Committee (WPIC) for several years. She has been on the committee for 18 years. She was a longtime board member and two-term president of Washington Women Lawyer’s charitable arm, the WWL Foundation. Judge Richardson also was a longtime board member for Victim Support Services, which provides advocacy and runs the state crisis line. In 2019, she was awarded the WWL Legacy Award. She has served on the Judicial Ethics Committee and Criminal Law / Rules Committee for the Superior Court Judges Association. In King County Superior Court, she has served on the Juror, Family Law, Security, and Personnel Committees, as well as ad hoc work groups on case management and courthouse history. 

Requests

Hearing Requests

Dispositive motions are heard on Fridays. Judge Richardson 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

  • Case number and name
  • Names, phone numbers and email addresses of all counsel/parties
  • Nature of hearing

The Court typically allots one 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.

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.

Civil Trial Exhibit

Electronic exhibits are to be used for civil trials conducted remotely. Instructions on uploading electronic exhibits can be found on our Electronic Exhibits-ShareFile page. Please submit exhibits no later than 5 court dates before the scheduled trial date.

Depositions are not to be marked as an exhibit since they become part of the court file. Exhibits to the deposition may be marked as exhibits in evidence. Please deliver Court Reporter Sealed Original depositions to the Judges’ Mailroom, C-203, with Judge Richardson’s name clearly marked. An electronic copy of the deposition transcript must be uploaded to the ShareFile folder.

If the parties intend to use depositions in trial, designations and objections shall be marked according to Judge Richardson's guidelines. Deposition designations and objections shall be provided to the Court at least 5 days prior to trial, along with all other pretrial materials.

Working Copies

During this time, Judge Richardson’s court is paperless.  Please use the Clerk’s Office e-working copies service.

All motions and responses, with or without oral argument, must be accompanied by a proposed order in Word format. LCR 5.7 (b)(5)(C).

Judge Richardson accepts stipulations and agreed orders via email.  Please send to the bailiff at the email address above.  The proposed order should be submitted in Word format.

Digitally recorded courtroom

The court proceedings in Department 52 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

For weddings, please call or email Judge Richardson’s court for information regarding availability and fees.

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