U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington is a United States district court, a federal trial court where most federal civil and criminal cases are first heard. It lies within the Ninth Circuit, which reviews its decisions on appeal. This page lists every judge to serve on the court, current and former, with who appointed them and whom they succeeded.
| Judge | Appointed by | Since |
|---|---|---|
| Barbara Jacobs Rothstein | Carter (D) | 1980 |
| John C. Coughenour | Reagan (R) | 1981 |
| Robert Jensen Bryan | Reagan (R) | 1986 |
| Thomas Samuel Zilly | Reagan (R) | 1988 |
| Robert S. Lasnik | Clinton (D) | 1998 |
| Marsha J. Pechman | Clinton (D) | 1999 |
| Ricardo S. Martinez | Bush (R) | 2004 |
| James L. Robart | Bush (R) | 2004 |
| Richard A. Jones | Bush (R) | 2007 |
| Benjamin Hale Settle | Bush (R) | 2007 |
| David Estudillo | Biden (D) | 2021 |
| Lauren Jennifer King | Biden (D) | 2021 |
| Tana Lin | Biden (D) | 2021 |
| John Hyungseung Chun | Biden (D) | 2022 |
| Tiffany Mae Cartwright | Biden (D) | 2023 |
| Kymberly Kathryn Evanson | Biden (D) | 2023 |
| Jamal Norman Whitehead | Biden (D) | 2023 |
| Judge | Appointed by | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Ronald B. Leighton | Bush (R) | 2002–2020 |
| Franklin D. Burgess | Clinton (D) | 1994–2010 |
| William Lee Dwyer | Reagan (R) | 1987–2002 |
| Carolyn R. Dimmick | Reagan (R) | 1985–2025 |
| Jack Edward Tanner | Carter (D) | 1978–2006 |
| Donald S. Voorhees | Nixon (R) | 1974–1989 |
| Walter Thomas McGovern | Nixon (R) | 1971–2021 |
| Morell Edward Sharp | Nixon (R) | 1971–1980 |
| William Nelson Goodwin | Johnson (D) | 1966–1975 |
| William Trulock Beeks | Kennedy (D) | 1961–1988 |
| George Hugo Boldt | Eisenhower (R) | 1953–1984 |
| William James Lindberg | Truman (D) | 1951–1981 |
| Charles Henry Leavy | Roosevelt (D) | 1942–1952 |
| Lloyd Llewellyn Black | Roosevelt (D) | 1939–1950 |
| John Clyde Bowen | Roosevelt (D) | 1934–1978 |
| Jeremiah Neterer | Wilson (D) | 1913–1943 |
| Edward E. Cushman | Taft (R) | 1912–1944 |
| George Donworth | Taft (R) | 1909–1912 |
| Cornelius Holgate Hanford | (reassignment) (N) | 1905–1912 |
| Clinton Woodbury Howard | Taft (R) | ?–1913 |
How a judge gets here. Each judge is nominated by a president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, then holds a numbered seat, for life, until they take senior status, or until they leave the bench. Open any judge to see who appointed them, how the Senate voted, and whom they succeeded, a chain that runs back to 1905.
Source: FJC Biographical Directory. Data last verified 2026-06-28. Verify against the primary source before relying.