--- title: "Lonny R. Suko | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/lonny-r-suko" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-09" --- # Lonny R. Suko U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington · Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington - State: Washington - Role: Judge - Service status: senior - Last verified: 2026-07-25 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Judge, District Court, E.D. Washington, 2003-2013 - District Judge: Nominated by President George W. Bush on April 28, 2003, to a seat vacated by William Fremming Nielsen - U.S. Magistrate Judge, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Washington, 1995-2003 - Magistrate Judge: Part-time U.S. Magistrate Judge, Eastern District of Washington (1971–1991) Full-time U.S. Magistrate Judge (1995–2003) - Private practice: Practiced law in Yakima, Washington, from 1969 to 1995 - Law clerk: held the role of law clerk to Hon. Charles L. Powell, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Washington (1968–1969) - Lonny Ray Suko is a Senior United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Washington - His career spans over four decades in federal judicial service, beginning as a magistrate judge and culminating in senior district judge status ### Education - University of Idaho College of Law — J.D. (1968) - Suko obtained a B.A. from Washington State University (1965) ### Additional information - Confirmed by the Senate on July 15, 2003, and commissioned July 16, 2003. held the role of Chief Judge from July 13, 2009, to January 27, 2011. - Private practice, Yakima, WA, 1969-1995 - U.S. Magistrate, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Washington, 1971-1991 - Born January 1, 1943, in Spokane, Washington. - Date of birth: 1943-01-01 - Chambers: Yakima, WA; mailing address PO Box 2706, Yakima, WA 98907. - Birth place: Spokane, WA ## 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 ### civil remote testimony Scope: courtwide In federal district-court civil proceedings, testimony is ordinarily taken in open court; remote contemporaneous testimony requires good cause in compelling circumstances and appropriate safeguards. Evidence excerpt: For good cause in compelling circumstances and with appropriate safeguards, the court may permit testimony in open court by contemporaneous transmission from a different location. [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### criminal recording and broadcasting Scope: courtwide Federal district courts may not permit courtroom photography or broadcasting during criminal judicial proceedings unless a statute or another federal rule provides an exception. Evidence excerpt: Except as otherwise provided by a statute or these rules, the court must not permit the taking of photographs in the courtroom during judicial proceedings or the broadcasting of judicial proceedings from the courtroom. [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1391906) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1391906) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1391906) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/3132/lonny-r-suko/) - [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) - [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/3132/lonny-r-suko/) - [Wikidata: Lonny R. Suko](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6674778) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/lonny-r-suko", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/lonny-r-suko", "name": "Lonny R. Suko | KnowJudges", "description": "Lonny R. Suko, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.", "dateModified": "2026-10-09", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/lonny-r-suko#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/lonny-r-suko#judge", "name": "Lonny R. 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Suko", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/lonny-r-suko" } ] } ] } ``` ## Federal civil docket activity Dataset updated through 2026-06-30. | Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample | | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | | 1y | 0 | 0 | Not available | 0 | | 2y | 0 | 0 | Not available | 0 | | 5y | 83 | 72 | 17 | 72 | | 10y | 213 | 202 | 13.9 | 202 | Source: https://www.courtlistener.com/recap/ ## Published courtroom rules ### Shared court rules - [Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, December 1, 2025](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-651872d6e45e0d82319ecccc) — Civil actions in United States District Courts; Rule 81 exceptions apply. Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-civil-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27. - [Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, December 1, 2025](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-8721a344fececced2257fe1d) — Criminal proceedings in United States District Courts; this conservative mapping does not distribute appellate-specific provisions to appellate judges. Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-criminal-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27.