--- title: "Robert S. Lasnik | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/robert-s-lasnik" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-09" --- # Robert S. Lasnik 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, 1998-present - Judge, Superior Court of the State of Washington, King County, 1990-1998 - King County Washington Prosecutor's Office, 1978-1990 - From 1978 to 1990, Lasnik worked in the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, rising from deputy prosecutor to chief of staff to longtime prosecutor Norm Maleng ### Education - University of Washington School of Law in — J.D. (1978) - Northwestern University — M.A. (1974) - Northwestern University — M.S. (1973) - Brandeis University — B.A. (1972) ### Additional information - Senior Judge: Since January 27, 2016 - Chief Judge: 2004–2011 - Nominated by President Bill Clinton on May 11, 1998, Lasnik was confirmed by the Senate on October 21, 1998, and commissioned the next day. - From 1990 to 1998, he held the role of a King County Superior Court judge, ruling on issues such as stadium development and public meeting transparency. - chief of staff, 1983-1990 - He prosecuted high‐profile cases, including those from the 1983 Wah Mee Massacre and the 1986 murder of a Seattle family. - senior deputy prosecutor, 1981-1983 - deputy prosecutor, 1978-1981 - Date of birth: 1951-01-01 - Medill School of Journalism - Birth place: Staten Island, NY ## 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/1390821) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1390821) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1390821) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/1863/robert-s-lasnik/) - [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/1863/robert-s-lasnik/) - [Wikidata: Robert S. Lasnik](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16149303) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/robert-s-lasnik", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/robert-s-lasnik", "name": "Robert S. Lasnik | KnowJudges", "description": "Robert S. Lasnik, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.", "dateModified": "2026-10-09", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/robert-s-lasnik#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/robert-s-lasnik#judge", "name": "Robert S. 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Lasnik", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/robert-s-lasnik" } ] } ] } ``` ## Federal civil docket activity Dataset updated through 2026-06-30. | Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample | | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | | 1y | 45 | 6 | Not available | 6 | | 2y | 162 | 57 | 2.5 | 57 | | 5y | 483 | 351 | 4.1 | 351 | | 10y | 1526 | 1391 | 5.8 | 1391 | 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.