Ricardo S. Martinez
| Ricardo Salazar Martinez | |
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| Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington | |
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Assumed office February 6, 2016 |
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| Preceded by | Marsha J. Pechman |
| Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington | |
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Assumed office June 16, 2004 |
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| Appointed by | George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | New seat |
| Magistrate Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington | |
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In office 1998–2004 |
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| Judge of the King County Superior Court | |
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In office 1990–1998 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | 1951 (age 65–66) Mercedes, Texas, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of Washington |
Ricardo Salazar Martinez (born 1951) is the Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington.
Martinez was born in Mercedes, Texas and raised in Whatcom County, Washington where he graduated from Lynden High School. He received a B.S. from the University of Washington in 1975 and a J.D. from the University of Washington School of Law in 1980. He was an Assistant Prosecutor with the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office in King County, Washington from 1980 to 1990.
Martinez was a judge on the King County Superior Court from 1990 to 1998. From 1998 to 2004, he served as a magistrate judge for the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington.
On October 14, 2003, Martinez was nominated by President George W. Bush to a new seat on the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington. Martinez was confirmed by the United States Senate on June 15, 2004, receiving his commission on June 16, 2004. He is the first Latino judge in the Western District of Washington. He became Chief Judge on February 6, 2016.
Backpage.com, an online escort service, filed a lawsuit against Washington State to prevent a law that would require companies to verify the ages of people in sex-related advertisements. The online escort service claimed, "Backpage and Internet Archive argue the new law violates the Communications Decency Act of 1996, as well as the First, Fifth, and Fourteenth Amendments and the commerce clause of the U.S. Constitution." On 28 July 2012, Judge Martinez granted an injunction preventing the law from taking effect. In his ruling, Martinez found merit in some of Backpage.com's arguments that the state law would conflict with existing federal law.
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