Wash. Rev. Code » Title 35 · Chapter 35.20
Revised Code of Washington

Wash. Rev. Code § 35.20.205 (2026)

Judicial officers—Hearing examiner

✓ current as of May 2026
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The judges of the municipal court may employ judicial officers to assist in the administration of justice and the accomplishment of the work of the court as said work may be assigned to it by statute or ordinance. The duties and responsibilities of such officers shall be judicial in nature and shall be fixed by court rule as adopted by the municipal court judges or fixed by ordinance of the city. The judicial officers may be authorized to hear and determine cases involving the commission of traffic infractions as provided in chapter 46.63 RCW. The *mayor may appoint the judicial officers as judges pro tempore pursuant to RCW 35.20.200: PROVIDED, That the judicial officer need not be a resident of the city.
To utilize the services of such judicial officers for the purpose of hearing contested matters relating to the interest of the city and its citizens and the operation of the various departments of the city, the city may by ordinance create the office of hearing examiner in the municipal court and assign to it judicial duties and responsibilities.
[ 1980 c 128 s 7; 1975 1st ex.s. c 214 s 1.]

Notes:

*Reviser's note: "Mayor" was replaced by "presiding municipal court judge" as the appointing authority for judges pro tempore in RCW 35.20.200, by 2000 c 55 s 2.
Effective date—Severability—1980 c 128: See notes following RCW 46.63.060.
Notes of Decisions
Cited in 6 cases, 1981–2001 · leading case: Mun. Court v. Beighle, 638 P.2d 1225 (Wash. 1982).
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Mun. Court v. Beighle, 638 P.2d 1225 (Wash. 1982). · cites it 19× “Tuberg was appointed magistrate of the Seattle Municipal Court on May 5, 1975, pursuant to RCW 35.”
Mun. Court ex rel. Tuberg v. Beighle, 622 P.2d 405 (Wash. Ct. App. 1981). · cites it 4× “Tuberg's office was authorized by former RCW 35.20.205 1 which permitted the municipal court to employ "judicial officers.”
Oden Inv. Co. v. City of Seattle, 622 P.2d 882 (Wash. Ct. App. 1981). · cites it 3× “2 Former RCW 35.20.205 provides: "The judges of the municipal court may employ judicial officers to assist in the administration of justice and the accomplishment of the work of the court as said work may be assigned to it by statute or ordinance.”
City of Seattle v. Louis, 776 P.2d 1336 (Wash. 1989). “Judicial officers, authorized by RCW 35.20.205, may be employed by the City "to assist in the administration of justice and the accomplishment of the work of the court".”
Akada v. Park 12-01 Corp., 678 P.2d 1314 (Wash. Ct. App. 1984). · cites it 2× “[2] RCW 35.20.205. [3] Although Save a Neighborhood Env't v.”
In Re Eng, 776 P.2d 1336 (Wash. 2001). “Judicial officers, authorized by RCW 35.20.205, may be employed by the City "to assist in the administration of justice and the accomplishment of the work of the court".”
Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.