---
title: "Leonard Feldman | KnowJudges"
canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/leonard-feldman-judge-court-of-appeals-division-i-11265-wa"
page_type: "judge_profile"
updated: "2026-07-26"
---

# Leonard Feldman

Court of Appeals - Division I · Judge

## Profile

- Court: Court of Appeals - Division I
- 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=11265&orgid=121)
- [Official roster](https://www.courts.wa.gov/court_dir/index.cfm?fa=court_dir.persondetail&indid=11265&orgid=121)
- [Washington State Administrative Office of the Courts official judicial roster](https://www.courts.wa.gov/court_dir/index.cfm?fa=court_dir.persondetail&indid=11265&orgid=121)
- [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)

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## Biography

### Professional career

- Judge Leonard J. Feldman is a nonpartisan judge of the Washington Court of Appeals, Division I, appointed in March 2023 and re‐elected in 2024, with a career in appellate litigation and academic service
- Leonard J. Feldman serves as a judge in Division I, District 1 of the Washington Court of Appeals, a position he assumed on March 15, 2023 under Governor Jay Inslee’s appointment
- He is a co‐author of Keeton, Sargentich, Keating, Fleming, and Feldman’s Tort and Accident Law (5th ed., 2023) and a frequent writer/speaker on appellate practice
- From 1991–1992, he was a law clerk to Judge Jerome Farris on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
- Named a “Rising Star” and “Super Lawyer” by Washington Law and Politics

### Education

- magna cum laude, Harvard Law School; twice awarded the Sears Prize for top students — J.D. (1991)
- in Psychology, University of Washington, summa cum laude — B.S. (1987)

### Additional information

- His current term runs until January 12, 2031.
- Feldman has been a Distinguished Jurist in Residence at Seattle University School of Law since 2023, teaching torts, federal courts, and state constitutional law.
- In November 2024, he won re‐election with overwhelming support (98% of the vote).
- Peterson Wampold Rosato Feldman & Luna (2014–2023)
- Washington State Bar Association Pro Bono Award (2006)
- He also serves as the court’s representative to the Washington Court Reports Commission.
- Judge Feldman and his wife have lived most of their lives in the Seattle area.
- He has been nominated for the Outstanding Faculty Award multiple times.
- Two Certificates of Appreciation from the Ninth Circuit for pro bono coordination and appellate teaching



## 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.