Washington County Court

The court system in the State of Washington is divided at various levels. The judges for these courts are elected for a period of four or six years. The state level court system is comprised of the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals, the Superior Court, the District Courts and the Municipal Courts.  Each of the thirty-nine counties in Washington has its own Superior Court and District Court. 

County Superior Courts

The Superior Courts in each of the counties serve as trial courts with general jurisdiction in the state. Civil matters such as lawsuits, divorce and child custody disputes, and claims that are worth in excess of $50,000 are handled by the superior courts along with felony trials. These Washington county courts act as courts of appeal for criminal misdemeanors as well as civil matters that are forwarded from the district courts.

County District Courts

All the thirty-nine counties in Washington also have districts courts. There are a total of 48 district courts that are spread across 56 different locations. These courts have limited jurisdiction. They decide cases pertaining to small claims that are worth less than $50,000.   Misdemeanor charges are also decided by these courts in which the sentence is not more than a year at one of the county prisons. The district courts can also hear cases of infractions forwarded from the municipal courts. The judges for these courts are elected for a period of four years. The district courts in the State of Washington all draw their funds from local sources.

Counties Within the Washington U.S. District Courts

The U.S District Court for the Western District of Washington (http://www.wawd.uscourts.gov/index.htm ) has its courthouses at two locations, in Tacoma and Seattle. The addresses for these courthouses are as follows:

Tacoma
Union Station Courthouse
1717 Pacific Ave
Tacoma, WA  98402

Seattle
U.S. Courthouse
700 Stewart Street Suite 2310
Seattle, WA  98101
 
This court is the designated trial court for the region lying on the western side of the Cascade Mountain range and covering the area to the Oregon border. The Tacoma section covers areas like Skagit, Island, Whatcom, Snohomish, San Juan and King. The Seattle division, on the other hand, covers areas like Thurston, Cowlitz, Clallam, Pacific, Grays Harbor, Kitsap, Skamania, Lewis, Pierce, Mason and Clark.

The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington (http://www.waed.uscourts.gov/http://www.peoplepublicrecords.org/index.html)  covers counties like Pend Orielle, Spokane, Adams, Yakima, Stevens, Kittitas, Chelan, Benton, Okanogan, Walla Walla, Asotin, Franklin, Klickitat, Ferry, Grant, Columbia and others. The courthouses are located at:

U.S. Courthouse and Federal Building
825 Jadwin Avenue
Richland, WA 99352
(509) 376-7262

Thomas S. Foley U.S. Courthouse
920 West Riverside Avenue
Spokane, WA 99201
(509) 458-3400

William O. Douglas Courthouse
25 South Third Street
Yakima, WA 98907
(509) 573-6600

Municipal Courts of Washington

Occupying the lowest level of the legal pyramid in the state are the municipal courts. There are a total of 121 municipal courts in Washington, comprised of 7 commissioners and 51 FTE judges. These courts are locally funded as well. The municipal courts have limited jurisdiction. They have the power to decide cases regarding traffic violations and incidents of misdemeanors. There are, however, certain municipalities which do not have a municipal court. In such areas, the issues which are usually under the purview of the municipal courts are handled by the respective district court.