page_title: Government of Washington (state)
section_title: Judiciary
hierarchical_section_title: Government of Washington (state) / Judiciary
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: Gerichtsgebäude des Bezirkes Columbia in Dayton im Staate Washington, USA English: Columbia County courthouse in Dayton, WA Français&#160;: Tribunal local du comté de Columbia à Dayton, dans le Washington (États-Unis).
context_page_description: The government of Washington State is the governmental structure of the State of Washington as established by the Constitution of the State of Washington. The executive is composed of the Governor, several other statewide elected officials and the Governor's cabinet. The Washington State Legislature consists of the House of Representatives and State Senate. The judiciary is composed of the Washington Supreme Court and lower courts. There is also local government, consisting of counties, municipalities and special districts.
context_section_description: The Washington Supreme Court is the highest court in the state. It has original jurisdiction of petitions against state officers, and can review decisions of lower courts if the money or value of property involved exceeds $200. Direct Supreme Court review of a trial court decision is permitted if the action involves a state officer, a trial court has ruled a statute or ordinance unconstitutional, conflicting statutes or rules of law are involved, or the issue is of broad public interest and requires a prompt and ultimate determination. All cases in which the death penalty has been imposed are reviewed directly by the Supreme Court. In all other cases, review of Court of Appeals decisions is left to the discretion of the court. Nine justices serve on the bench and are elected statewide to six-year terms. Motions to be determined by the Court, and petitions for review of Court of Appeals decisions, are heard by five-member departments of the Court, and a less-than-unanimous vote on a petition requires that the entire court consider the matter.
  The Washington Court of Appeals is the intermediate level appellate court empowered to hear appeals from final judgments and orders of superior courts, Personal Restraint Petitions, writs of mandamus and quo warranto, appeals from decisions of administrative agencies, discretionary review of a superior court's decision in an appeal from a court of limited jurisdiction, and discretionary review of interlocutory appeals from rulings of superior court for which there is no other effective remedy. Judges are elected for six-year terms. The court is divided into three divisions. Cases are heard by panels of three judges. There is no en banc procedure.
  The Washington superior courts are courts of general jurisdiction, grouped into thirty single or multi-county districts. The Washington district courts (of counties) and Washington municipal courts (of cities and towns) are courts of limited jurisdiction which hear cases involving misdemeanor crimes, traffic, non-traffic, and parking infractions, domestic violence protection orders, civil actions of $75,000 or less, and small claims of up to $5,000. Superior court and district court judges are elected to four-year terms, and municipal court judges may be elected or appointed to four-year terms depending on state law. In addition to municipal courts, cities can establish traffic violation bureaus (TVBs) that handle traffic violations of municipal ordinances.
  The Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) licenses and regulates attorneys, and serves its members as a professional association. The Commission on Judicial Conduct consists of 11 members (two attorneys selected by the WSBA, three judges selected by the sitting judges of the state, and six non-attorneys appointed by the Governor), which is authorized to investigate complaints against sitting judges and recommend the removal of judges, which can be effected by a majority vote of the Supreme Court.
caption: The Columbia County Courthouse in Dayton, home of the Columbia County Superior Court
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