--- title: "Marsha J. Pechman | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/marsha-j-pechman" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-08-02" --- # Marsha J. Pechman U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington · Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Western 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, W.D. Washington, 1999-present - Has served since September 9, 1999 as a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, nominated by President Bill Clinton and confirmed by the Senate on September 8, 1999 - Chief Judge of the district from September 1, 2011, until February 6, 2016, when she assumed senior status - Senior United States district judge of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, appointed in 1999 and elevated to senior status in 2016 - Judge, Superior Court of the State of Washington, King County, 1988-1999 - Adjunct professor, University of Puget Sound, 1983-1987 - Instructor and staff attorney, University of Washington School of Law, 1979-1981 - Deputy prosecutor, King County, WA, 1976-1979 - Deputy prosecutor, King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office (1976–1979) - Founder of Justice Advocacy Africa, training over 550 African lawyers in trial skills and pro bono representation, with work in Uganda, Kenya, Botswana, and Malawi - She also held the role of a public defender, supervised the criminal law defender clinic at UW Law School, and was director of Seattle University Law School Clinical Programs ### Education - in, Boston University School of Law — J.D. (1976) - Cornell University — B.A. (1973) ### Additional information - Private practice, Seattle, WA, 1981-1988 - Born February 6, 1951 in Salem, Oregon, Pechman has two daughters. - Date of birth: 1951-01-01 - She has also served on the Ninth Circuit Education Committee and Jury Instruction Committee. - She enjoys knitting and skiing. - Chambers: U.S. Courthouse, 700 Stewart Street, Suite 14229, Seattle, WA 98101. ## 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/1391001) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1391001) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1391001) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/2525/marsha-j-pechman/) - [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/2525/marsha-j-pechman/) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/marsha-j-pechman", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/marsha-j-pechman", "name": "Marsha J. 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Pechman", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/marsha-j-pechman" } ] } ] } ``` ## Federal civil docket activity Dataset updated through 2026-06-30. | Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample | | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | | 1y | 11 | 1 | Not available | 1 | | 2y | 119 | 51 | 2.9 | 51 | | 5y | 435 | 354 | 4 | 354 | | 10y | 1052 | 968 | 5.6 | 968 | 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.