Washington court system

In Washington, there are several different state courts. Judges are elected and serve four-year or six-year terms. Most judges first come to office when the governor of Washington appoints them after a vacancy is created - either by the death, resignation, retirement, or removal of a sitting judge, or when a new seat on the bench is created by the Washington State Legislature.

The Washington Supreme Court is the state supreme court of Washington. It is the highest court in the state and is based in the Temple of Justice at the Washington State Capitol campus in the state capital of Olympia.

Almost all the cases that the Court hears are appeals from the decisions of the Washington Court of Appeals. The court has discretionary jurisdiction, meaning it may choose which cases to hear. The court has original jurisdiction over a small number of cases. These original cases are mostly known as "writ" or "mandamus" actions to force a state official to do or not do an official act of government.

The Washington Supreme Court consists of a chief justice and eight justices, who are elected in nonpartisan elections and serve six-year terms. Terms are staggered so that three justices are elected every two years. There is a mandatory retirement age of 75.

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