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King County Washington home

Photo of Judge Melinda Young

  • Courtroom Number: E-815
  • Bailiff: Jennifer McBeth
  • Department: 6
  • Assignment: 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, the Chief Juvenile Judge in 2023 and the Chief Criminal Judge from 2024-2025.  Judge Young serves on the Budget and Local Rules Committees and is a past co-chair of the Jury Committee and former member of the Court’s Executive Committee.  

 

Services

Hearing requests

Dispositive motions are heard on Fridays. Any request for a hearing date must be emailed to the court and include the case number/name and the nature of the motion. Judge Young requests that you confer with the opposing counsel/party, if possible, before confirming any hearing to make sure that the date is mutually agreeable. Doing so reduces the need for motions practice related to continuance requests.

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.

Note: Most motions do not require oral argument under the court rules. If a party would like to request oral argument, the motion should be noted pursuant to the applicable court rules, noting in the upper right-hand corner of the working papers and on the note for motion “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.

Zoom Protocols for Civil Hearings in Judge Young’s Court

Civil hearings in Department 6 are typically conducted via Zoom.  If you prefer to appear in person, please notify the court by email in advance so that all parties can be afforded the same opportunity.


Please adhere to the following protocols when appearing by Zoom.

1. Do not forward the Zoom link without explicit permission from the court.
2. All participants should join the Zoom meeting using their first and last name.  The bailiff will use the chat feature to attempt to identify anyone not logged on using a legal first and last name.  The court may decline to admit anyone who does not meet this requirement or engage via chat.
3. Log on promptly at the time of your scheduled hearing. Late attendees may not be admitted into the Zoom meeting.
4. Ensure that you have video and audio capability enabled for the meeting.
5. All participants must keep their video on for the entire time they are logged onto the Zoom meeting.  Washington Courts are presumed to be open, and this extends to Zoom hearings.  The court cannot permit individuals to attend court anonymously.
6. Please mute yourself when you are not actively speaking.
7. No one is authorized to record the proceedings by any means without prior permission from the court.
8. Although the hearing is by Zoom, please remember this is a formal court proceeding.  Please conduct yourself accordingly and take steps to minimize anything that would detract from the integrity of the proceedings. 
a. This includes being in a public space while on Zoom, driving while on Zoom, walking while on Zoom, having people in and out of the background of the Zoom, or otherwise doing anything that would be distracting to the court or the parties while on Zoom.

 
 

Working copies

Judge Young’s court is paperless. Please use the Clerk’s Office e-working copies service to submit working copies or provide a file sharing link via email. If neither of these methods are available to you, please submit your working copies on a flash drive or CD delivered to the Judges’ Mailroom, C-203, with Judge Young’s name and the case information clearly marked. If you are unable to use any of the methods listed above, please email the bailiff to make alternative arrangements.   

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.