--- title: "Charles K. Wiggins | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/charles-k-wiggins-6007" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-09" --- # Charles K. Wiggins Supreme Court of Washington · Judge ## Profile - Court: Supreme Court of Washington - State: Washington - Role: Judge - Service status: former - Last verified: 2026-08-22 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## 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 ## 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.courtlistener.com/person/6007/charles-k-wiggins/) - [Official roster](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/6007/charles-k-wiggins/) - [Washington Supreme Court current judicial profile](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/6007/charles-k-wiggins/) - [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) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/6007/charles-k-wiggins/) - [Charles K. Wiggins - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_K._Wiggins#:~:text=Wiggins%20attended%20Princeton%20University%20on,Business%20Administration%20in%20night%20school.) - [Charles Wiggins Obituary May 27, 2025](https://www.cookfamilyfuneralhome.com/obituaries/charles-wiggins) - [Wikidata: Charles K. Wiggins](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5079664) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/charles-k-wiggins-6007", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/charles-k-wiggins-6007", "name": "Charles K. Wiggins | KnowJudges", "description": "Charles K. Wiggins, Supreme Court of Washington. 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