--- title: "Ricardo S. Martinez | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/ricardo-s-martinez" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-08-02" --- # Ricardo S. Martinez 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, 2004-present - 2016–2022: Chief Judge of the Western District of Washington - 2004–2022: Judge, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, appointed by President George W. Bush and confirmed by the Senate in 2004 - Senior United States district judge for the Western District of Washington, appointed in 2004 and elevated to senior status in 2022 - U.S. Magistrate Judge, U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington, 1998-2004 - Judge, Superior Court of the State of Washington, King County, 1990-1998 - As a superior court judge, he presided over the trial of Cal Brown, sentenced to death for the 1991 carjacking, rape, and murder of Holly Washa - Assistant prosecutor, King County, WA, 1980-1990 - 1980–1990: Assistant Prosecutor, King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office - The first Latino judge in the Western District of Washington ### Education - B.S. in 1975 and a J.D. in 1980 from the University of Washington School of Law. ### Additional information - 5, 2022: Senior Judge - Brown was executed in 2010. - United States (2009). - Ricardo Salazar Martinez was born June 23, 1951 in Mercedes, Texas, and raised in Lynden, Washington. - Date of birth: 1951-01-01 - Since Sept. - He also handled high-profile cases such as Glacier Northwest, Inc. v. - Martinez’s career reflects a long-standing commitment to public service, from prosecutorial work to state and federal judicial roles, and he is recognized for his leadership as Chief Judge and his role in advancing diversity in the federal judiciary. - While at UW, he was active in the Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano/a De Aztlan (MEChA). - Birth place: Mercedes, TX ## 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/1392136) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1392136) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1392136) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/2067/ricardo-s-martinez/) - [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/2067/ricardo-s-martinez/) - [Wikidata: Ricardo S. Martinez](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7322802) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/ricardo-s-martinez", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/ricardo-s-martinez", "name": "Ricardo S. Martinez | KnowJudges", "description": "Ricardo S. Martinez, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.", "dateModified": "2026-08-02", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/ricardo-s-martinez#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/ricardo-s-martinez#judge", "name": "Ricardo S. 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Martinez", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/ricardo-s-martinez" } ] } ] } ``` ## Federal civil docket activity Dataset updated through 2026-06-30. | Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample | | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | | 1y | 108 | 7 | Not available | 7 | | 2y | 283 | 86 | 2.7 | 86 | | 5y | 900 | 662 | 4.4 | 662 | | 10y | 2346 | 2101 | 5.1 | 2101 | 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.