--- title: "Anita M. Crawford-Willis | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/anita-m-crawford-willis-presiding-judge-king-county-municipal-courts-seattle-668-wa" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-07-26" --- # Anita M. Crawford-Willis King County - Municipal Courts - Seattle · Presiding Judge ## Profile - Court: King County - Municipal Courts - Seattle - State: Washington - Role: Presiding Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-26 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### photography recording Scope: statewide Washington GR 16 allows video recording, audio recording, and still photography by the news media in courtrooms only after the judge has expressly granted permission. Evidence excerpt: Video and audio recording and still photography by the news media are allowed in the courtroom during and between sessions, provided (1) that permission shall have first been expressly granted by the judge [Washington GR 16, Courtroom Photography and Recording by the News Media](https://www.courts.wa.gov/court_rules/pdf/GR/GA_GR_16_00_00.pdf) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### limitations on recording Scope: statewide If a Washington judge limits courtroom photography or recording, GR 16 requires particularized findings on the record and treats open access as presumed. Evidence excerpt: Open access is presumed; limitations on access must be supported by reasons found by the judge to be sufficiently compelling to outweigh that presumption [Washington GR 16, Courtroom Photography and Recording by the News Media](https://www.courts.wa.gov/court_rules/pdf/GR/GA_GR_16_00_00.pdf) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.courts.wa.gov/court_dir/index.cfm?fa=court_dir.persondetail&indid=668&orgid=242) - [Official roster](https://www.courts.wa.gov/court_dir/index.cfm?fa=court_dir.persondetail&indid=668&orgid=242) - [Washington State Administrative Office of the Courts official judicial roster](https://www.courts.wa.gov/court_dir/index.cfm?fa=court_dir.persondetail&indid=668&orgid=242) - [Washington GR 16, Courtroom Photography and Recording by the News Media](https://www.courts.wa.gov/court_rules/pdf/GR/GA_GR_16_00_00.pdf) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/anita-m-crawford-willis-presiding-judge-king-county-municipal-courts-seattle-668-wa", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/anita-m-crawford-willis-presiding-judge-king-county-municipal-courts-seattle-668-wa", "name": "Anita M. 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Crawford‐Willis is the Presiding Judge of the Seattle Municipal Court, serving since 2025 and re‐elected for another two‐year term in 2026 ### Education - Undergraduate and law degrees from Seattle University and has been active in alumni leadership, mentoring students and serving on multiple boards. ### Additional information - Her current elected term runs through January 2027. - Crawford‐Willis was re‐elected by her colleagues on October 2, 2026, to serve as Presiding Judge from January 1, 2027, through December 31, 2028, alongside Assistant Presiding Judge Damon Shadid. - She has also emphasized preparing for three new judges joining the bench in January 2027. - Outstanding Judge Award (Washington State Bar Association, 2022) - She was first appointed to the Seattle Municipal Court bench in 2017 and has been re‐elected twice by Seattle voters. - As Presiding Judge, she oversees court management, judicial assignments, supervision of the court administrator, and non‐elected magistrates. - Leadership roles including Chair‐elect of the District and Municipal Court Association, past Chair of the Boys & Girls Club of King County, and service on the Washington State Supreme Court’s Gender and Justice Commission. - A native of Seattle, she grew up in the city’s Central District and is the daughter of two Machinists Union (IAM 751) members who worked 35 years at Boeing. ## Published courtroom rules ### Shared court rules - [Washington GR 16, Courtroom Photography and Recording by the News Media](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-7133c6bd26c80972b86e0d31) — Scope is limited to the court class in the source claim. Shared court context only; case-type restrictions, exceptions, later amendments and case orders apply. This is not a personal preference or a complete rules inventory. [Official source](https://www.courts.wa.gov/court_rules/pdf/GR/GA_GR_16_00_00.pdf). Collected 2026-07-26.