--- title: "Laura M. Riquelme | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/laura-m-riquelme-judge-skagit-county-superior-court-829-wa" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-07-26" --- # Laura M. Riquelme Skagit County - Superior Court · Judge ## Profile - Court: Skagit 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=829&orgid=595) - [Official roster](https://www.courts.wa.gov/court_dir/index.cfm?fa=court_dir.persondetail&indid=829&orgid=595) - [Washington State Administrative Office of the Courts official judicial roster](https://www.courts.wa.gov/court_dir/index.cfm?fa=court_dir.persondetail&indid=829&orgid=595) - [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/laura-m-riquelme-judge-skagit-county-superior-court-829-wa", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/laura-m-riquelme-judge-skagit-county-superior-court-829-wa", "name": "Laura M. 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Riquelme", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/laura-m-riquelme-judge-skagit-county-superior-court-829-wa" } ] } ] } ``` ## Biography ### Professional career - Department 2 judge on the Skagit County Superior Court in Washington, appointed by Governor Jay Inslee on June 26, 2017, to fill a vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Michael E. Rickert - Before her judicial appointment, Riquelme held the role of senior deputy public defender for the Skagit County Public Defender’s Office (2016–2017) and briefly as a judge in the same court (March–November 2016). - She also worked as a deputy prosecuting attorney for the Skagit County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office ### Education - Bachelor’s degree, University of Massachusetts J.D., Syracuse University College of Law ### Additional information - Appointment: June 26, 2017, by Gov. - In her retention campaign, Riquelme cited Judge Susan Cook as her most admired judge and identified addressing mental health and chemical dependency crises with limited court resources as her top judicial concern. - She has been active in community and legal organizations, including the Skagit County Bar Association, Skagit Women in Business, and the Skagit Immigrant Rights Council. - Early life: Raised in a rural community in Western New York; later lived in Boston, Chile, and traveled extensively in South America. - Married to a Chilean mountain guide; speaks fluent Spanish. ## 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.