Chris Lanese at a glance
- Current role
- Judge
- Jurisdiction
- Washington · State
- Judicial service
- Active
Chris Lanese
Judge · Thurston County - Superior Court
Biography
Professional career
- Elected to the Thurston County Superior Court in 2016 and began a two‐year rotation as a Family & Juvenile Court judge in 2021.
- Before joining the bench, he served in the Washington State Office of the Attorney General from 2010 to 2013 as an assistant attorney general, later becoming managing assistant attorney general.
- He clerked for Hon. Mary Alice Theiler, U.S. District Judge for the Western District of Washington, and practiced at Heller Ehrman LLP and Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP in intellectual property and business litigation
Education
- His legal education includes a B.A. in Economics from Dartmouth College
- a J.D. from Harvard Law School, where he edited the Harvard Journal of Law and Technology and co‐chaired TaxHelp.
Additional information
- Elected judge on the Thurston County Superior Court in Washington, serving since 2016, with recent assignments in Family & Juvenile Court and notable public commentary on ballot disclosure issues.
- In August 2026, Lanese drew criticism for comments during a hearing on the Public Investment Impact Disclosure (PIID) for Initiative 26‐645, which sought to repeal Washington’s new 9.9% income tax.
- Lanese has been active in pro bono work, serving on the Thurston County Bar Association’s Pro Bono and Legal Aid Committee and various community boards.
- Seasoned Washington state judge with a background in public service, private practice, and community leadership.
- State law requires the Attorney General’s ballot disclosure to be neutral, but Lanese went beyond the legal question, discussing whether tax‐cut initiatives themselves are “not neutral” and warning of a “downward regressive spiral” in Washington’s tax system.
- He also questioned whether ballot warnings should include the state’s preferred rebuttal to citizen proposals, which critics argued crossed into policy advocacy rather than neutral legal interpretation.
- He handled complex litigation from Superior Court trials to Washington State Supreme Court appeals.
- His recent high‐profile case on ballot disclosure has sparked debate over judicial neutrality and the role of judges in policy discussions.
- He has received the Washington State Attorney General’s William V. Tanner Award.
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 ↗
Published courtroom rules
Shared court rules
Washington GR 16, Courtroom Photography and Recording by the News Media
Thurston County - Superior Court
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 ↗ · Collected 2026-07-26Sources
Identity source checked July 26, 2026.
Biography sources checked October 11, 2026.
Washington State Administrative Office of the Courts official judicial roster
Identity source · HTML · Source checked July 26, 2026
View Washington State Administrative Office of the Courts official judicial roster ↗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 ↗