---
title: "Brett Buckley | KnowJudges"
canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/brett-buckley-judge-thurston-county-district-court-262-wa"
page_type: "judge_profile"
updated: "2026-07-26"
---

# Brett Buckley

Thurston County - District Court · Judge

## Profile

- Court: Thurston County - District Court
- State: Washington
- Role: 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=262&orgid=687)
- [Official roster](https://www.courts.wa.gov/court_dir/index.cfm?fa=court_dir.persondetail&indid=262&orgid=687)
- [Washington State Administrative Office of the Courts official judicial roster](https://www.courts.wa.gov/court_dir/index.cfm?fa=court_dir.persondetail&indid=262&orgid=687)
- [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)

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## Biography

### Professional career

- Presiding Judge, Thurston County District Court — appointed by the Board of Thurston County Commissioners in 2006
- M. Brett Buckley is the Presiding Judge of Thurston County District Court in Washington, also leading the county’s Mental Health Court and Veterans Court
- Presiding Judge, Thurston County Mental Health Court — serving for over 18 years, building on the program’s origins
- Presiding Judge, Thurston County Veterans Court — the first of its kind in Washington State, led since its launch 16 years ago
- Commandant’s List graduate of the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s School; held the role of Trial and Senior Defense Counsel in the U.S. Army
- He has shared that these programs “change lives one at a time” and have personally influenced his approach to justice

### Education

- Lewis & Clark College Northwestern School of Law — J.D. (1980)
- Bowdoin College, A.B., cum laude

### Additional information

- Outstanding Judge of the Year — Washington State Bar Association, 2019
- President’s Award — District and Municipal Court Judges’ Association, 2009
- Judge of the Year — Misdemeanant Corrections Association, 2008
- Strong advocate for therapeutic courts, which focus on treatment and rehabilitation rather than incarceration
- He has highlighted that Mental Health and Veterans Courts achieve recidivism rates of 5–15% compared to 55–60% in traditional courts, and that diverting participants from jail reduces daily incarceration costs by half
- held the role of a Thurston County District Court commissioner for 10 years; faculty member of the Washington State Judicial College
- Professional Roles: Former chair of the District and Municipal Court Judges’ Association Legislative Committee; member of the Board for Judicial Administration Court Security Committee; co-chair of Thurston County Court Security Committee; member of the Thurston County Domestic Violence Judicial Task Force



## 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.