--- title: "Melinda Young | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/melinda-young-judge-king-county-superior-court-11637-wa" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-07-26" --- # Melinda Young King County - Superior Court · Judge ## Profile - Court: King 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=11637&orgid=191) - [Official roster](https://www.courts.wa.gov/court_dir/index.cfm?fa=court_dir.persondetail&indid=11637&orgid=191) - [Washington State Administrative Office of the Courts official judicial roster](https://www.courts.wa.gov/court_dir/index.cfm?fa=court_dir.persondetail&indid=11637&orgid=191) - [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/melinda-young-judge-king-county-superior-court-11637-wa", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/melinda-young-judge-king-county-superior-court-11637-wa", "name": "Melinda Young | KnowJudges", "description": "Melinda Young, King County - Superior Court. 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Young is a nonpartisan judge on Department 6 of the King County Superior Court in Washington, appointed in 2018 and serving until 2029 - Before joining the bench, Judge Young spent over 20 years with the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, most recently as Chair of the Economic Crimes Unit (2008–2018). ### Education - with honors, University of Washington School of Law — J.D. (1994) - in Communications, summa cum laude, Washington State University — B.A. (1991) ### Additional information - Recent leadership roles: Assistant Chief Criminal Judge (2021), Chief Juvenile Judge (2023), Chief Criminal Judge (2024–2025) - Appointed: November 21, 2018, by Governor Jay R. Inslee, succeeding Judge Barbara Linde - Overseeing retrials of 102 murder cases reversed by the Washington State Supreme Court in 2004 - Leading the King County Mental Health Court (established 1999) focusing on treatment and housing for defendants with persistent mental illness - Service in the Tort Section, Domestic Violence Unit, and Homicide Unit - Committees: Budget and Local Rules Committees; past co-chair of the Jury Committee - Randy Revelle Award for Lifetime Achievement in Mental Health Advocacy - Matthew Simeone ASIS Award for public–private solutions to identity theft - Active member of the King County Bar Association’s Diversity Committee ## 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.