Washington Court of Appeals

As early as 1929, the Washington judiciary observed a need for an intermediate appellate court to relieve the heavy workload of the Washington Supreme Court. That year the state's Judicial Council suggested the establishment of such a court as a possible option for judicial restructuring. Nevertheless, the state legislature took no steps until the mid-1960s, when work began on a Court of Appeals.

The Washington citizenry adopted a Constitutional Amendment on November 5, 1968, which authorized the legislature to create a Court of Appeals and to define its composition and jurisdiction. On May 12, 1969, the legislature passed the enabling act that established a Court of Appeals with three divisions and a total of twelve judges. Governor Dan Evans appointed the initial twelve judges with the judges all facing election at the general election of 1970 and with each elected judge initially serving terms of two, four or six years determined by lot.[1]

Twenty-two judges currently sit on the Washington Court of Appeals Court, divided into three geographic divisions. Within each division, panels of three judges hear each appeal. The court never sits en banc. Voters elect Court of Appeals judges for six-year terms. Judges on the Court of Appeals, like other Washington jurists, must retire at the end of the calendar year they reach the age of 75.[2] Each division contains three electoral districts, with judges within the divisions being elected only from within those districts.

By statute, the court is empowered to hear the following types of cases: 1. As a matter of right, all appeals from final judgments' of the Superior Court, and all other orders that effectively cut-off further litigation, such as condemnation orders, termination of parental rights, juvenile court proceedings, and incompetency proceedings.[3]

• All Personal Restraint Petitions (a statutory variation of the Writ of Habeas Corpus) [4]
• Writs of Mandamus and quo warranto (the Writ of Habeas Corpus is only available in Superior Court)
• Appeals from decisions of administrative agencies.
• Discretionary Review of the Superior Court's decision in an appeal from a court of limited jurisdiction.[5]
• Discretionary Review of interlocutory appeals from rulings of the Superior Court for which there is no other effective remedy.[6]

• Washington State Trial and Appellate Courts homepage