--- title: "Chris Lanese | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/chris-lanese-judge-thurston-county-superior-court-11375-wa" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-07-26" --- # Chris Lanese Thurston County - Superior Court · Judge ## Profile - Court: Thurston County - Superior 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=11375&orgid=683) - [Official roster](https://www.courts.wa.gov/court_dir/index.cfm?fa=court_dir.persondetail&indid=11375&orgid=683) - [Washington State Administrative Office of the Courts official judicial roster](https://www.courts.wa.gov/court_dir/index.cfm?fa=court_dir.persondetail&indid=11375&orgid=683) - [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/chris-lanese-judge-thurston-county-superior-court-11375-wa", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/chris-lanese-judge-thurston-county-superior-court-11375-wa", "name": "Chris Lanese | KnowJudges", "description": "Chris Lanese, Thurston County - Superior Court. 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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. ## 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.