--- title: "Sandra E. Widlan | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/sandra-e-widlan-judge-king-county-maleng-regional-justice-center-mrjc-11658-wa" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # Sandra E. Widlan 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=11658&orgid=194) - [Official roster](https://www.courts.wa.gov/court_dir/index.cfm?fa=court_dir.persondetail&indid=11658&orgid=194) - [Washington State Administrative Office of the Courts official judicial roster](https://www.courts.wa.gov/court_dir/index.cfm?fa=court_dir.persondetail&indid=11658&orgid=194) - [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/sandra-e-widlan-judge-king-county-maleng-regional-justice-center-mrjc-11658-wa", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/sandra-e-widlan-judge-king-county-maleng-regional-justice-center-mrjc-11658-wa", "name": "Sandra E. 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Widlan", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/sandra-e-widlan-judge-king-county-maleng-regional-justice-center-mrjc-11658-wa" } ] } ] } ``` ## Biography ### Professional career - Judge on Department 53 of the King County Superior Court in Washington, appointed in 2018 and serving until 2029 - held the role of a law clerk to Chief Justice Barbara Durham of the Washington Supreme Court ### Education - She holds a B.A. in Honors from Northwestern University - a J.D. from New York University School of Law, where she earned the Arthur Garfield Hays Civil Liberties Fellowship. ### Additional information - In March 2025, Judge Widlan issued a bench ruling striking down Initiative 2066 as unconstitutional in its entirety, finding it contained unrelated provisions and violated the Washington State Constitution. - Appointment: March 6, 2018, by Governor Jay Inslee, replacing Hon. Mariane Spearman - Courtroom: E-746 (per ) - Executive Committee of King County Superior Court and was co‐chair of the Courts and Community Committee. - Received the Outstanding Lawyer Award from the Latina/o Bar Association of Washington ## 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.