---
title: "Michael E. Johnston | KnowJudges"
canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/michael-e-johnston-commissioner-supreme-court-supreme-court-commissioner-3291-wa"
page_type: "judge_profile"
updated: "2026-10-07"
---

# Michael E. Johnston

Supreme Court of Washington · Commissioner

## Profile

- Court: Supreme Court of Washington
- State: Washington
- Role: Commissioner
- Service status: former
- Last verified: 2026-08-22

## 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=3291&orgid=115)
- [Official roster](https://www.courts.wa.gov/court_dir/index.cfm?fa=court_dir.persondetail&indid=3291&orgid=115)
- [Washington State Administrative Office of the Courts official judicial roster](https://www.courts.wa.gov/court_dir/index.cfm?fa=court_dir.persondetail&indid=3291&orgid=115)
- [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/michael-e-johnston-commissioner-supreme-court-supreme-court-commissioner-3291-wa",
      "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/michael-e-johnston-commissioner-supreme-court-supreme-court-commissioner-3291-wa",
      "name": "Michael E. Johnston | KnowJudges",
      "description": "Michael E. Johnston, Supreme Court of Washington. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.",
      "dateModified": "2026-10-07",
      "isPartOf": {
        "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website"
      },
      "mainEntity": {
        "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/michael-e-johnston-commissioner-supreme-court-supreme-court-commissioner-3291-wa#judge"
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Person",
      "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/michael-e-johnston-commissioner-supreme-court-supreme-court-commissioner-3291-wa#judge",
      "name": "Michael E. Johnston",
      "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/michael-e-johnston-commissioner-supreme-court-supreme-court-commissioner-3291-wa",
      "jobTitle": "Commissioner",
      "worksFor": {
        "@type": "GovernmentOrganization",
        "name": "Supreme Court of Washington"
      },
      "sameAs": [
        "https://www.courts.wa.gov/court_dir/index.cfm?fa=court_dir.persondetail&indid=3291&orgid=115"
      ]
    },
    {
      "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
      "itemListElement": [
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 1,
          "name": "KnowJudges",
          "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj"
        },
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 2,
          "name": "Washington",
          "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/state/washington"
        },
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 3,
          "name": "Michael E. Johnston",
          "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/michael-e-johnston-commissioner-supreme-court-supreme-court-commissioner-3291-wa"
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}
```

## Biography

### Professional career

- held the role of Judge Pro Tem for Thurston County District Court since 2012
- Appointed in 2017 by the Washington Supreme Court justices, Johnston serves as the Supreme Court Commissioner, a position created in 1976
- Was Lead Staff Attorney in the Supreme Court Commissioner’s Office for 10 years
- held a position as an Assistant Attorney General in the Washington Office of the Attorney General’s Torts Division
- Chief Justice Mary Fairhurst described Johnston as committed to making timely, difficult decisions and well-versed in the work of the Supreme Court Commissioner’s Office
- Acting as a judicial officer for motions related to discretionary review of Court of Appeals decisions, original actions against state officers, and personal restraint petitions by prisoners

### Education

- magna cum laude, Gonzaga University School of Law — J.D. (1998)
- University of Washington, Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies — B.A. (1984)

### Additional information

- Overseeing a central staff of attorneys and professional staff to ensure efficient case handling.
- Former Editor-in-Chief of the Gonzaga Law Review.
- Johnston himself has called the role “an essential resource for the Court, the legal community, and the citizens of Washington”.