--- title: "David S Keenan | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/david-s-keenan-judge-king-county-maleng-regional-justice-center-mrjc-11654-wa" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # David S Keenan King County - Superior Court · Judge ## Profile - Court: King 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=11654&orgid=194) - [Official roster](https://www.courts.wa.gov/court_dir/index.cfm?fa=court_dir.persondetail&indid=11654&orgid=194) - [Washington State Administrative Office of the Courts official judicial roster](https://www.courts.wa.gov/court_dir/index.cfm?fa=court_dir.persondetail&indid=11654&orgid=194) - [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/david-s-keenan-judge-king-county-maleng-regional-justice-center-mrjc-11654-wa", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/david-s-keenan-judge-king-county-maleng-regional-justice-center-mrjc-11654-wa", "name": "David S Keenan | KnowJudges", "description": "David S Keenan, King County - Superior Court. 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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. ## 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.