David S Keenan at a glance
- Current role
- Judge
- Jurisdiction
- Washington · State
- Judicial service
- Active
David S Keenan
Judge · King County - Superior Court
Biography
Professional career
- King County Superior Court bench since 2017, also acting as a judge pro tempore in King County District Court and Federal Way Municipal Court
- Judge David S. Keenan is a nonpartisan trial judge for Department 26 of the King County Superior Court in Washington, elected in 2016 and re‐elected in 2024, with a career marked by legal service, community leadership, and personal resilience
- Keenan emphasizes equity, access to justice, and support for marginalized communities, drawing on his legal, law enforcement, and advocacy experience
- Issues such as bias in policing, legal diversity, and youth justice, and continues to provide pro bono legal aid in civil rights cases
- He has also been Board President of the Northwest Justice Project, served on the Washington Supreme Court’s Access to Justice Board, and held leadership roles in legal and community organizations
- He has been endorsed by the entire Washington Supreme Court, former Governor and Attorney General Christine Gregoire, Attorney General Bob Ferguson, former Attorney General Rob McKenna, King County Executive Dow Constantine, Seattle Mayor Ed Murray, and King County Democrats
Education
Additional information
- Before judicial service, Keenan worked in complex civil litigation at a global law firm, held the role of a Special Deputy Prosecutor in the Felony Trial Unit, and spent nearly 15 years as a federal law enforcement agent investigating crimes such as fraud and human trafficking.
- He brings a unique perspective, having grown up in poverty in King County, been a juvenile defendant in the very court he now serves in, and later obtained a GED, associate degree, and legal qualifications.
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
King 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 ↗