• Courtroom Number: W-921
• Bailiff: Alea Espina-Dumas
• Department: 56
• Assignment: Civil

Biography 

For 28 years before joining the King County Superior Court bench, Judge Tinker represented persons injured by another’s negligence, primarily in cases of medical negligence. His practice was statewide, and he represented clients in most of the counties in Washington.

Born on a U.S. Army base in Heidelberg, Germany, Judge Tinker grew up in Shoreline and graduated from Washington State University and the Seattle University School of Law.

Judge Tinker has served on the Board of Trustees for Kitsap Cancer Services, Montessori Country School, Voyager Montessori School, the Rotary Club of Bainbridge Island, One Call for All, and the Kitsap County Bar Association. He is the recipient of the 2017-18 Rotary Club of Bainbridge Island Roger Merrifield Award for exceptional commitment to the Rotary motto, Service Above Self, and the 2019 Kitsap County Bar Association Humanitarian Award in recognition of sustained achievement in the public interest.

 

Department Schedule

Judge Tinker currently manages a general civil caseload and an unlawful detainer calendar. Generally, Department 56 holds an unlawful detainer show cause hearing calendar every other week, Monday through Friday, from 1:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Unlawful detainer trials are generally scheduled for the weeks between hearing calendars, Monday through Thursday.

General civil (non-unlawful detainer) pretrial conferences are generally held on Thursday mornings. Motions with oral argument are generally heard on Fridays. For non-unlawful detainer trials, Judge Tinker will manage the case up to trial, but the trial itself is likely to be brokered to another judge.

Recording/Photography in the Courtroom or on Zoom

Recording or photography of any kind while the Court is on the record is strictly prohibited without permission of the Court. The Court audio records all proceedings. Copies of the recordings are available by submitting a request (CD Request Form.) through the Clerk’s office.

Emailing the Court

Before emailing the Court, please review the King County Superior Court Email Policy: 

Proposed Orders, Stipulated Orders, and Working Papers

Please submit all proposed orders, stipulated proposed orders, and working papers, in Word format, through the King County Superior Court e-working papers portal:  Alternatively, working papers may be submitted by delivering copies, clearly marked for Judge Tinker, to the judges’ mailroom, Room C-203, Second Floor, King County Courthouse. Do not email any of these documents to the Court.

The Court will electronically deliver copies of signed orders to counsel/parties electronically if they have provided email addresses to the Court.

Dispositive Motions, Obtaining Hearing Date

Hearings with oral argument are generally heard on Friday mornings.

Dispositive motions are heard with oral argument. The Court typically allots 30 minutes for dispositive motions hearings. Additional time may be provided on hearings involving multiple parties or complex motions. Before noting a dispositive motion for oral argument, please email the Court to request a date and time. Before emailing the Court, please coordinate available dates with opposing counsel. Plan to request hearing dates well in advance, as Court availability is limited.

When emailing the Court for dispositive oral argument hearing dates, please copy all opposing counsel, and include:

In the subject line, the case number and caption
The nature of the motion
The requested date(s) (include more than one potential date, if possible)
Whether you are requesting additional hearing time and, if so, a brief explanation for the request.

Non-dispositive civil motions

Per King County Local Rule 7, most non-dispositive motions are heard without oral argument. To request oral argument on a non-dispositive motion, include “Oral Argument Requested” on the upper right-hand corner of the working papers. If, after reviewing the briefing, the Court determines oral argument is appropriate, the bailiff will contact the parties and set a mutually acceptable time for oral argument.

Please review and comply with the requirements of King County Local Rule 7 when setting motions without oral argument.

Weddings

Judge Tinker is available for weddings most afternoons at the courthouse and on weekends/holidays/other locations as schedule allows. For questions or to schedule, please contact Judge Tinker’s Bailiff, Alea Espina-Dumas, at tinker.court@kingcounty.gov.