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Presiding judge: Superior Court backlog down from pandemic peak but homicides and juror safety remain challenges
Summary
Presiding Judge Ketu Shaw told the Seattle Public Safety Committee the King County Superior Court reduced pandemic backlogs but still carries more pending homicide cases than before COVID and that courthouse-area safety affects juror participation and court access.
King County Presiding Judge Ketu Shaw told the Seattle City Council Public Safety Committee on July 22 that the Superior Court’s work remains broad and that access and safety around the courthouse are central to the court’s ability to function.
Shaw said the court filed nearly 60,000 cases last year and that civil matters — family law and guardianships — make up roughly 70% of its workload. She noted a pandemic-era spike in pending criminal cases in 2020–21 and said the backlog has been reduced but that criminal caseloads remain above pre-pandemic levels: pending criminal cases are about 10% higher than in 2019. She reported the number of pending homicide cases has roughly doubled since before the pandemic, with “over 200…
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