King County Superior Court Filing Rules

Pro se defendants must be given a copy of the Criminal Department Manual.

Consistent with the above standard, and given that revision must be based only on the issues and evidence before the Commissioner, the motion should only: (1) provide the hearing information required by LCR 7(b)(8)(B)(iii); (2) identify the error(s) claimed; (3) specify where exactly in the record the issue was argued below; and (4) specify all evidence in the record relevant to the issue (whether in support or opposition). The Court will then determine whether or not to call for supplemental briefing or argument.

Motions for exceptional sentences must include proposed findings and be submitted 7 days before the hearing.

In addition to providing the certification, ordinarily, Judge Straley will expect that the moving party provide a copy of all correspondence between the parties relevant to the motion as part of the moving party’s initial filing.

To obtain a recording copy from the Clerk's Office Copy Center, submit a completed CD Request Form.

For Kent (MRJC) violations, the State must email the proposed warrant and Notice of Violation to the MRJC Chief Judges Bailiff and copy defense counsel.

In courtrooms with a court reporter, contact the bailiff and/or court reporter before the hearing or trial if you will want a copy of the transcript.

Scheduling email requests must include the case name and cause number, names and email addresses of all counsel/pro se parties, and the type of hearing with requested dates.

Parties are requested to IMMEDIATELY notify the bailiff when a case settles and/or a scheduled motion needs to be stricken.

All case-related email to the court must use scott.court@kingcounty.gov; the judge's individual email address may not be used absent express invitation.

Working copies of pleadings may not be submitted by email unless prior authorization is obtained.

Counsel should review LGR 30, which requires e-filing of documents and requires attorneys to “promptly register to accept e-service via the Clerk’s e-filing application” unless a waiver is obtained.

Working copies may not be submitted to the Court via email.

Parties may email the courtroom to ask whether the judge will accept pleadings, jury instructions, legal memoranda, and similar documents as email submissions, with acceptance at the judge's discretion.

Supreme Court certifications must be filed with the King County Superior Court Clerk's Office under the annual case number, which is 26-0-12055-5 for 2026.

Please note that there are 5 hours in a full trial day and consider your witness exam totals, jury questions for the witnesses in civil cases, opening and closing arguments, voir dire, time for motions in limine, etc. when estimating the total trial length for your case.

The opposing party must state its objection and the basis for it in a comment box next to the moving party's designation.

The opposing party must state its objections in a call-out box placed next to the highlighted designation being objected to.

Video must remain on for the entire Zoom hearing; anonymous attendance is not permitted.

Paper working copies must be tabbed for each exhibit or attachment.

Strict reply documents must be filed and served no later than noon on the court day before the hearing.

All trial memoranda and trial submissions are due no later than 5 court days before trial under KCLR 40(d)(2).

All trial memoranda and trial submissions are due no later than five court days before trial under KCLR 40(d)(2).

Provide deposition designations and objections to the Court with other pretrial materials at least seven days before trial.

The original notice must be filed at the Clerk's Office at least nine court days before the hearing date.

Dispositive motions are typically allotted 1 hour, and parties must advise the bailiff if additional time is requested.

A scheduling party should consult the opposing party or counsel before contacting the court.

Defense counsel may move to quash a warrant issued on or before the trial date by scheduling a motion to quash the warrant before the Chief Criminal or Chief MRJC Judge. The defendant shall be present at the hearing or the motion shall not be considered, absent extraordinary circumstances.

Motions with oral argument (summary judgment, restraining orders, preliminary injunctions, and class certification) are heard on Fridays in one-hour calendar slots.

Motions set for oral argument must be confirmed with the bailiff.

When an attorney does not become available from another trial, staff prepares a continuance order stating the reason and presents it to the Chief Criminal or Chief MRJC Judge for signature.

The motion should be served and filed and noted for consideration before the hearing judge two judicial days after filing in accordance with LCR 7(b)(4)(H).

Stipulated or agreed motions to continue trial may be submitted on a two-court-day calendar under LCR 7(b)(4)(H).

Motions to change the trial date filed after the final date in the Case Schedule will not be granted except upon extraordinary circumstances preventing a substantial injustice.

After the Final Date to Change Trial, continuances are granted only under extraordinary circumstances as provided by LCR 40(e)(2).

If the defendant expresses a desire to withdraw his/her plea before or at sentencing, the sentencing court should continue the sentencing to give defense time to file a written motion and declaration to be served on the judge who took the guilty plea or the sentencing judge if the plea judge is not available or was a judge pro tempore.

Email may not be used to serve pleadings on opposing parties absent agreement of opposing counsel or express permission of the court, even if the court accepts working copies by email.

Signed orders are distributed through e-filing to parties who sign up for e-service.

The requesting party must serve the notice and motion documents on all parties and file a proof of service listing all served documents.

Proof of service must be filed with the court through KC SCRIPT.

Working copies of briefs and accompanying documents must be submitted via e-working copies or a delivery service when they are due to be filed, and parties must not wait until the reply is due.

Working copies are not the official copies of your court documents. File those first in the Superior Court Clerk's Office. Do not deliver documents to the courtroom. You may either submit working copies electronically through the Clerk's Office e-filing application after paying the fee or deliver hard copies to the judges’ mailroom or appropriate department in the courthouse in which the judge or commissioner is located.

Judge Sutton's court is paperless; working copies must be submitted as e-working copies through the Clerk's Office.

Department 51 is a paperless Court and prefers working copies submitted via eWorking Copies or to Judge's mailroom. Please make sure Judge Port's name and the case information is clearly marked. The Court does not accept working copies via email, absent prior authorization.

An uncited set of jury instructions (Instruction No. ______, no proposing-party identification) with a cover page entitled 'Court's Instructions to the Jury' must be provided to the court, emailed to the bailiff in Word format.

Protective order sealing must comply with the stated limitations and Washington General Rule (GR) 15 before documents are sealed.

Unredacted materials (hardcopy) should be sent to the Court via the Judges mailroom (516 3rd Ave, Rm C-203 Seattle, WA 98104). We do not accept unredacted materials over email.

Motions to seal must comply with GR 15, LGR 15, and controlling caselaw; party agreement is insufficient, and a proposed order with the required findings must be provided.

Defense counsel must present a motion and proposed order for sealing, and the sealing order itself may not be sealed.

Original deposition transcripts must be sealed; if published/impeached in open court the sealed original is filed in the case file (not as an exhibit), while unused transcripts are not filed and are returned to counsel.

Parties must cooperate and use a single set of depositions marked for the Judge's consideration rather than separate sets.

The proposed order to seal and the proposed protective order must be submitted as separate documents in the e-mailed packet.

The parties must cooperate and prepare a single set of depositions marked for the judge's consideration rather than separate sets.

Motions to shorten time are strongly disfavored and should only be used in extraordinary circumstances. If a party wishes the Court to consider a motion on shortened time, the underlying motion must be noted in the regular course, and a separate motion to shorten time should be submitted.

Cross-motions and additional separately briefed dispositive motions must be separately scheduled with the court and may not be included in a response to a motion.

Documents filed by mail must include the filing fee.

You may either pay a fee to submit eWorking copies through the Clerk's Office e-filing application (except for any document of 500 pages or more in length which must be delivered in paper form) or deliver them to the judge's mail room.

Settlement conference memoranda or letters must be typewritten and 3 to 5 pages.

New attorneys may email the bailiff to request oral argument for practice on motions that normally do not require it, and the judge will consider the request.