--- title: "Leslie Lopez | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/leslie-lopez-judge-clark-county-district-court-1954-wa" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-07-26" --- # Leslie Lopez Clark County - District Court · Judge ## Profile - Court: Clark County - District 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=1954&orgid=341) - [Official roster](https://www.courts.wa.gov/court_dir/index.cfm?fa=court_dir.persondetail&indid=1954&orgid=341) - [Washington State Administrative Office of the Courts official judicial roster](https://www.courts.wa.gov/court_dir/index.cfm?fa=court_dir.persondetail&indid=1954&orgid=341) - [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/leslie-lopez-judge-clark-county-district-court-1954-wa", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/leslie-lopez-judge-clark-county-district-court-1954-wa", "name": "Leslie Lopez | KnowJudges", "description": "Leslie Lopez, Clark County - District Court. 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Lopez is a Clark County, Washington District Court Judge appointed in September 2025 to replace retiring Judge Sonya L. Langsdorf - Before becoming a judge, Lopez was a Clark County District Court Commissioner from November 2024 to September 2025. - Pro tempore judge/commissioner in Superior and District Court in 2024 - She also worked extensively in the Clark County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, starting in January 2018 as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney in the Civil Division and becoming Chief Civil Deputy in 2021 - Civil defense trial attorney for municipalities in Oregon ### Education - Biola University — Degree in Organizational Leadership/Business - Lewis & Clark Law School — J.D. ### Additional information - Clark County District Court bench, a position she was appointed to by the Clark County Council on September 10, 2025, after public interviews. - She succeeded Judge Langsdorf, whose term ended September 30, 2025. - This was one of two open seats at the time; the second vacancy (Judge Kelli E. Osler’s) is still being filled. - handling protection orders, family law, dependency, unlawful detainer, small claims, and other matters - YMCA Mock Trial competitions as a rater/judge - In her appointment announcement, Lopez said she was “humbled and grateful” for the opportunity to serve Clark County as a District Court Judge, thanking the County Council for their time and consideration. ## 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.