--- title: "Elizabeth J. Berns | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/elizabeth-j-berns-judge-king-county-maleng-regional-justice-center-mrjc-9964-wa" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # Elizabeth J. Berns 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=9964&orgid=194) - [Official roster](https://www.courts.wa.gov/court_dir/index.cfm?fa=court_dir.persondetail&indid=9964&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=9964&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/elizabeth-j-berns-judge-king-county-maleng-regional-justice-center-mrjc-9964-wa", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/elizabeth-j-berns-judge-king-county-maleng-regional-justice-center-mrjc-9964-wa", "name": "Elizabeth J. 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Berns", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/elizabeth-j-berns-judge-king-county-maleng-regional-justice-center-mrjc-9964-wa" } ] } ] } ``` ## Biography ### Professional career - Judge on Department 25 of the King County Superior Court in Washington, serving since January 2013, with a background in law, public service, and judicial education - Berns held the role of a Pro Tem Judge in municipal courts and King County District Court, and as a Pro Tem Commissioner in King County Superior Court before joining the Superior Court bench in 2013. - Courtroom: 3J, Maleng Regional Justice Center, Kent, WA - Adult Drug Diversion Court Judge - Began her legal career as a deputy attorney general in the State of Washington’s Division of Labor & Industries ### Education - B.S. in Environmental Health and Law from the University of Washington in 1989 and a J.D. from the University of Puget Sound School of Law in 1993. ### Additional information - Specialized Assignments: Lead Dependency and Family Treatment Court Judge - Project Chair of the King County Domestic Violence and Child Maltreatment Coordinated Response Oversight Committee and Judicial Lead for the court’s Trauma Care Project. - handling workers’ compensation cases. - Also faculty for the National Council of Juvenile & Family Court Judges’ “Enhancing Judicial Skills in Domestic Violence Cases” program. - Before law school, she held a position as a research scientist in chemistry and indoor air pollution. - She has been active in domestic violence, sexual assault, and trauma response initiatives, co‐authoring chapters in the Sexual Offense Bench Guide for Judges and the Domestic Violence Manual for Judges. - Berns has served on the American Judges Association Board of Governors, the Center for Children and Youth Justice eQuality Project advisory board, and as a National Advisor to the Battered Women’s Justice Project. - Elizabeth J. Berns is a native of Seattle. - She later opened her own law firm, practicing in workers’ compensation, estate planning, probate, business and intellectual property, and family law for over two decades. - She received the Norm Maleng Award for her work educating judicial officers about domestic violence and its impact on LGBTQ+ communities. ## 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.