Title 2 — Title 2 COURTS OF RECORD

There shall be in the county of Chelan four judges of the superior court; in the county of Douglas one judge of the superior court; in the county of Clark 12 judges of the superior court; in the county of Grays Harbor three judges of the superior court; in the county of Kitsap ei…

*** CHANGE IN 2026 *** (SEE 5868.SL) ***There shall be in the county of Lincoln one judge of the superior court; in the county of Skagit, four judges of the superior court; in the county of Walla Walla, two judges of the superior court; in the county of Whitman, one judge of the …

There shall be in the counties of Benton and Franklin jointly, seven judges of the superior court; in the county of Clallam, three judges of the superior court; in the county of Jefferson, one judge of the superior court; in the county of Snohomish, 17 judges of the superior cour…

There shall be in the county of Grant, three judges of the superior court; in the county of Okanogan, two judges of the superior court; in the county of Mason, three judges of the superior court; in the county of Thurston, nine judges of the superior court; in the counties of Pac…

Unless otherwise provided, upon the taking effect of any act providing for additional judges of the superior court and thereby creating a vacancy, the governor shall appoint a person to hold the office until the election and qualification of a judge to fill the vacancy, which ele…

The judges of the superior court elected under the provisions of RCW 2.08.060 through 2.08.065 shall hold their offices for the term of four years from and after the second Monday in January next succeeding their election, and until their successors are elected and qualified.[ 19…

Every judge of a superior court shall, before entering upon the duties of his or her office, take and subscribe an oath that he or she will support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the state of Washington, and will faithfully and impartially discharge…

The annual salary of the judges of the superior court shall be established by the Washington citizens' commission on salaries for elected officials.[ 1986 c 155 s 6; 1984 c 258 s 403.]Notes:Contingent effective date—Severability—1986 c 155: See notes following RCW 43.03.300.Court…

The county auditor of each county shall pay superior court judges in the same means and manner provided for all other elected officials.[ 1997 c 204 s 1; 1939 c 189 s 1; 1893 c 30 s 1; 1890 p 329 s 2; RRS s 10967.]Notes:Distribution of work of courts by chief justice—Unavailabili…

Where there is only one judge of the superior court for two or more counties, the auditors thereof, acting together, shall apportion among or between such counties, according to the assessed valuation of their taxable property, the amount of such judge's salary that each county s…

Whenever a judge of the superior court shall serve a district comprising more than one county, such judge shall be reimbursed for travel expenses in connection with business of the court in accordance with RCW 43.03.050 and 43.03.060 as now existing or hereafter amended for trave…

(1) If a vacancy occurs in the office of judge of the superior court, the governor shall appoint a person to hold the office until the election and qualification of a judge to fill the vacancy, which election shall be at the next succeeding general election, and the judge so elec…

Whenever a judge of the superior court of any county in this state, or a majority of such judges in any county in which there is more than one judge of said court, shall request the governor of the state to direct a judge of the superior court of any other county to hold a sessio…

Whenever a like request shall be addressed by the judge, or by a majority of the judges (if there be more than one) of the superior court of any county to the superior judge of any other county, he or she is hereby empowered, if he or she deem it consistent with the state of judi…

In any county where there shall be more than one superior judge, or in which a superior judge of another county may be holding a session of the superior court, as provided in RCW 2.08.140 through 2.08.170, there may be as many sessions of the superior court at the same time as th…

Any judge of the superior court of any county in this state who shall hold a session of the superior court of any other county, in pursuance of the provisions of RCW 2.08.140 through 2.08.170 shall be entitled to receive from the county in which he or she shall hold such sessions…

A case in the superior court of any county may be tried by a judge pro tempore, who must be either: (1) A member of the bar, agreed upon in writing by the parties litigant, or their attorneys of record, approved by the court, and sworn to try the case; or (2) pursuant to supreme …

An attorney may not serve as a superior court judge pro tempore or a superior court commissioner pro tempore in a judicial district while appointed to or serving on a case in that judicial district as a guardian ad litem for compensation under Title 11, 13, or 26 RCW, if that jud…

Any judge of the superior court of the state of Washington shall have power, in any county within his or her district: (1) To sign all necessary orders and papers in probate matters pending in any other county in his or her district; (2) to issue restraining orders, and to sign t…

Any judge of the superior court of the state of Washington who shall have heard any cause, either upon motion, demurrer, issue of fact, or other matter in any county out of his or her district, may decide, rule upon, and determine the same in any county in this state, which decis…

The process of the superior courts shall extend to all parts of the state: PROVIDED, That all actions for the recovery of the possession of, quieting the title to, or for the enforcement of liens upon, real estate, shall be commenced in the county in which the real estate, or any…

Unless otherwise provided by statute, all process issuing out of the court shall be directed to the sheriff of the county in which it is to be served, and be by him or her executed according to law.[ 2011 c 336 s 20; 1891 c 45 s 5; RRS s 35.]

The judges of the superior courts shall, from time to time, establish uniform rules for the government of the superior courts.[ 1890 p 344 s 13; RRS s 36.]Notes:Rule-making power, supreme court: RCW 2.04.180 through 2.04.210.Superior court rules: State Constitution Art. 4 s 24.Su…

Every case submitted to a judge of a superior court for his or her decision shall be decided by him or her within ninety days from the submission thereof: PROVIDED, That if within said period of ninety days a rehearing shall have been ordered, then the period within which he or s…

Superior judges shall, on or before the first day of November in each year, report in writing to the judges of the supreme court, such defects and omissions in the laws as their experience may suggest.[ 1890 p 344 s 14; RRS s 11050.]Notes:Annual report to supreme court: State Con…

This chapter shall be known and cited as the Washington Judicial Retirement System Act.[ 1971 ex.s. c 267 s 1.]

The purpose of this chapter is to effect a system of retirement from active service.[ 1971 ex.s. c 267 s 2.]

(1) "Accumulated contributions" means the total amount deducted from the judge's monthly salary pursuant to RCW 2.10.090, together with the regular interest thereon from July 1, 1988, as determined by the director of the department of retirement systems.(2) "Beneficiary" means an…

The Washington judicial retirement system is hereby created for judges appointed or elected under the provisions of chapters 2.04, 2.06, and 2.08 RCW. All judges first appointed or elected to the courts covered by these chapters on or after August 9, 1971, and prior to July 1, 19…

The Washington judicial retirement board established by this chapter is abolished. All powers, duties, and functions of the board are transferred to the director of retirement systems.[ 1982 c 163 s 1.]Notes:Severability—1982 c 163: "If any provision of this act or its applicatio…

The retirement board shall perform the following duties:(1) Keep in convenient form such data as shall be deemed necessary for actuarial evaluation purposes;(2) As of July 1st of every even-numbered year have an actuarial evaluation made as to the mortality and service experience…

(1) The state treasurer shall be the custodian of all funds and securities of the retirement system. Disbursements from this fund shall be made by the state treasurer upon receipt of duly authorized vouchers.(2) The state treasurer is hereby authorized and directed to deposit any…

The total liability, as determined by the actuary, of this system shall be funded as follows:(1) Every judge shall have deducted from his or her monthly salary an amount equal to seven and one-half percent of said salary.(2) The state as employer shall contribute an equal amount …

Retirement of a member for service shall be made by the retirement board as follows:(1) Any judge who, on August 9, 1971 or within one year thereafter, shall have completed as a judge the years of actual service required under chapter 2.12 RCW and who shall elect to become a memb…

A member upon retirement for service shall receive a monthly retirement allowance computed according to his or her completed years of service, as follows: Ten years, but less than fifteen years, three percent of his or her final average salary for each year of service; fifteen ye…

(1) Any judge who has served as a judge for a period of ten or more years, and who shall believe he or she has become physically or otherwise permanently incapacitated for the full and efficient performance of the duties of his or her office, may file with the retirement board an…

Upon a judge being retired for disability as provided in RCW 2.10.120, he or she shall receive from the fund an amount equal to one-half of his or her final average salary.[ 2011 c 336 s 26; 1971 ex.s. c 267 s 13.]

(1) A surviving spouse of any judge holding such office, or if he or she dies after having retired and who, at the time of his or her death, has served ten or more years in the aggregate, shall receive a monthly allowance equal to fifty percent of the retirement allowance the ret…

(1) If a judge dies before the date of retirement, the amount of the accumulated contributions standing to the judge's credit at the time of death shall be paid to the member's estate, or such person or persons, trust, or organization as the judge has nominated by written designa…

(1) Upon making application for a service retirement allowance under RCW 2.10.100 or a disability allowance under RCW 2.10.120, a judge who is eligible therefor shall make an election as to the manner in which such service retirement shall be paid from among the following designa…

*** CHANGE IN 2026 *** (SEE 2034-S2.SL) ***(1) No judge shall be eligible to receive the judge's monthly service or disability retirement allowance if the retired judge is employed:(a) For more than eight hundred ten hours in a calendar year as a pro tempore judge; or(b) In an el…

If a judge who was a member of this system left the system before July 1, 1988, and neither the judge nor the judge's surviving spouse: (1) Was eligible at that time to receive a benefit under this chapter; or (2) has received an amount under a sundry claims appropriation from th…

Effective July 1, 1972, and of each succeeding year, every retirement allowance which has been in effect for one year or more shall be adjusted to that dollar amount which bears the ratio to its original dollar amount which the retirement board finds to exist between the index fo…

*** CHANGE IN 2026 *** (SEE 6346-S.SL) ***(1) Except as provided in subsections (2), (3), and (4) of this section, the right of a person to a retirement allowance, disability allowance, or death benefit, the retirement, disability or death allowance itself, any optional benefit, …

Any person aggrieved by any final decision of the retirement board must, before petitioning for judicial review, file with the director of the retirement system by mail or personally within sixty days from the day such decision was communicated to such person, a notice for a hear…

A hearing shall be held by the department of retirement systems, or an authorized representative, in the county of the residence of the claimant at a time and place designated by the director. Such hearings shall be de novo and shall conform to the provisions of chapter 34.05 RCW…

No bond of any kind shall be required of a claimant appealing to the superior court, the court of appeals, or the supreme court from a finding of the retirement board affecting such claimant's right to retirement or disability benefits.[ 1971 ex.s. c 267 s 21.]

(1) Any member of the Washington public employees' retirement system who is eligible to participate in the judicial retirement system may, by written request filed with the retirement boards of the two systems respectively, transfer such membership to the judicial retirement syst…

Any person receiving retirement benefits from this system who is appointed or elected to a court under chapter 2.04, 2.06, or 2.08 RCW shall upon the first day of entering such office become a member of this system and his or her retirement benefits shall cease. Pro tempore servi…

For the purposes of this chapter, the terms spouse, marriage, marital, husband, wife, widow, widower, next of kin, and family shall be interpreted as applying equally to state registered domestic partnerships or individuals in state registered domestic partnerships as well as to …