Edirin O. Okoloko at a glance
- Current role
- Judge
- Jurisdiction
- Washington · State
- Judicial service
- Active
Edirin O. Okoloko
Biography
Professional career
- Judge Okoloko was appointed to the Snohomish County Superior Court bench by Washington Governor Jay Inslee in September 2018, retained by voters in 2020, and re‐elected unopposed in 2024
- In 2005, he joined the Snohomish County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, working 13 years in the Criminal Division
- Recognized for integrity, fairness, and dedication to accessible, equitable justice
- After law school, Okoloko held the role of a Judicial Law Clerk to Judge Michael T. Downes of Snohomish County Superior Court.
Education
- First law degree: University of Benin, Nigeria (1998)
Additional information
- Edirin O. Okoloko is a Nigerian-born Superior Court Judge in Snohomish County, Washington, appointed in 2018, retained by voters in 2020 and 2024, and recognized as Snohomish County Bar Association Judge of the Year in 2024.
- Named one of the top two judges in Snohomish County Superior Court (2022)
- In 2007 and 2008, he received the Clerk’s Choice Award for civility and professionalism.
- Second law degree: Seattle University School of Law, with honors (2003)
- Born in Benin City, Nigeria in 1998, Okoloko is the fourth of six children.
- handling complex cases such as homicide, sexual assault, elder abuse, and child abuse.
- Court’s Juvenile Committee, Family Law Committee, and the Juvenile Court’s Cultural Advisory Committee, and is a Co‐Chair of the Washington State Pattern Instructions Committee.
- Judge Okoloko lives in Edmonds, Washington, with his wife, a clinical social worker, and their two children.
- He was also a member of the Multi‐Agency Response Team (S.M.A.R.T.) investigating law enforcement use‐of‐force incidents.
- His mother instilled values of love and empathy, and his father, a molecular biology professor, inspired his work ethic.
- Initially considering medicine, he shifted to law after witnessing political turmoil and human rights abuses in Nigeria.
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
Snohomish 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 ↗