--- title: "Rebecca Louise Pennell | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/rebecca-louise-pennell" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-08-03" --- # Rebecca Louise Pennell 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: active - Last verified: 2026-07-25 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - American judge serving on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington since December 9, 2024 - Nominated by President Joe Biden on March 21, 2024, to the seat vacated by Judge Salvador Mendoza Jr., who was elevated to the Ninth Circuit in 2022 - Judge, Court of Appeals of the State of Washington, Division III, 2016-2024 - Notable prior role: Washington Court of Appeals judge (2016–2024) - From January 19, 2016, to December 9, 2024, Pennell held the role of a judge on the Washington Court of Appeals, Division III, appointed by Governor Jay Inslee to fill the vacancy left by Stephen Brown - Law clerk, Hon. Robert H. Whaley, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington, 1997-1999 - Judge, Court of Appeals of Washington, ?-present ### Education - B.A., summa cum laude, University of Washington (1993) J.D., Stanford Law School (1996) ### Additional information - Attorney, Federal Defenders of Eastern Washington and Idaho, 2000-2016 - 2000–2016: Public defender with Federal Defenders of Eastern Washington and Idaho - Fellowship attorney, TeamChild, Yakima, Washington, 1999-2000 - 1999–2000: Skadden Fellow at TeamChild, Yakima, WA - Born: 1971, Boulder, Colorado - received her judicial commission the same day as her swearing-in. - Based in Spokane, Washington. - Raised: Richland, Washington - Pennell lives in Yakima, Washington, with her husband and daughter. ## 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/13761894) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/13761894) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/13761894) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/16232/rebecca-pennell/) - [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/16232/rebecca-pennell/) - [Judge Rebecca Louise Pennell](https://www.fjc.gov/node/13761894) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/rebecca-louise-pennell", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/rebecca-louise-pennell", "name": "Rebecca Louise Pennell | KnowJudges", "description": "Rebecca Louise Pennell, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington. 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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.