Charles K. Wiggins at a glance
- Current role
- Former Judge
- Jurisdiction
- Washington · State
- Judicial service
- Former
Charles K. Wiggins
Former Judge · Supreme Court of Washington
Biography
Professional career
- Judge, Washington Supreme Court, 2011-present
- Charles Wiggins Obituary May 27, 2025 Prior to serving on the Court, Charlie operated a law firm on Bainbridge Island specializing in appellate law and served as a judge on the Washington Court of Appeals.
- He held the role of a judge on Division Two of the Washington Court of Appeals (appointed 1995) and as pro tempore superior court judge in King and Jefferson counties, and pro tempore district court judge in Kitsap County
- Began in private practice with Edwards, Sieh, Wiggins & Hathaway
Education
- With the G.I. Bill, he completed his JD at Duke University in 1976.
- Princeton University — B.A.
- University of Hawaiʻi System
- Duke University School of Law
Additional information
- He announced his retirement in January 2020, stepping down at the end of March.
- Elected in 2010 to replace Richard B. Sanders, Wiggins served January 7, 2011 – March 31, 2020.
- Joined the majority in the 2018 decision abolishing Washington’s death penalty, citing racial discrimination in its imposition.
- Practitioner, 2010-2010
- Elected to the court in 2010, defeating incumbent Richard B. Sanders.
- Born September 7, 1947 in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, Wiggins was the son of a career warrant officer and a Boy Scout Eagle Scout.
- Date of birth: 1947-01-01
- focusing on appeals in the Washington Court of Appeals, the state Supreme Court, and the federal Ninth Circuit, and once as co-counsel in the U.S. Supreme Court.
- He also worked on the Washington State Bar Rules Committee and led the Washington Chapter of the American Judicature Society.
- He later founded Wiggins & Masters PLLC on Bainbridge Island, specializing in appellate work.
- He attended Princeton University on an Army ROTC scholarship, graduating magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, then served four years in the U.S. Army Military Intelligence Corps as a Captain, earning an MBA through night school.
- Birth place: Fort Bragg
Applicable Court Rules & Procedures
Recording and broadcasting
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.
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 judgeWashington GR 16, Courtroom Photography and Recording by the News Media ↗
Statewide
If a Washington judge limits courtroom photography or recording, GR 16 requires particularized findings on the record and treats open access as presumed.
Open access is presumed; limitations on access must be supported by reasons found by the judge to be sufficiently compelling to outweigh that presumptionWashington GR 16, Courtroom Photography and Recording by the News Media ↗
Sources
Identity source checked August 22, 2026.
Biography sources checked October 11, 2026.
Washington Supreme Court current judicial profile
Identity source · HTML · Source checked August 22, 2026
View Washington Supreme Court current judicial profile ↗Washington GR 16, Courtroom Photography and Recording by the News Media
Statewide source · PDF · Source checked July 26, 2026
View Washington GR 16, Courtroom Photography and Recording by the News Media ↗