Tracy A. Staab at a glance
- Current role
- Chief Judge
- Jurisdiction
- Washington · State
- Judicial service
- Active
Tracy A. Staab
Chief Judge · Court of Appeals - Division III
Loading AI cases…
Biography
Professional career
- Tracy Arlene Staab is a nonpartisan judge of the Washington Court of Appeals, Division III, District 1, elected in 2020 and serving until 2027
- Private Practice & Public Defense: Worked in private law practice, then as a public defender with the City of Spokane and the Federal Defenders
- Judge, Court of Appeals of Washington, ?-present
Education
- JD, cum laude, from the University of Puget Sound (now Seattle University) School of Law in 1993.
- Bachelor’s degree from Western Washington University
Additional information
- She represents District 1 and her current term runs until January 10, 2027.
- Running for re‐election in the November 3, 2026 general election.
- Elected to the Court of Appeals, Division III in 2020 and took office on January 11, 2021.
- Judicial Service: In 2009, selected as one of the first Spokane Municipal Court judges, helping develop innovative therapeutic courts that earned national recognition.
- Early Career: Clerk for Judge Stephen Brown (Division III).
- focusing on appellate work before the Ninth Circuit.
- Served in this role for 12 years before her appellate election.
- First elected to the Court of Appeals from Spokane Municipal Court.
- Judge Staab lives in Spokane with her husband and a “barn full of animals.” Her daughter recently graduated from Washington State University and resides in Seattle.
Applicable Court Rules & Procedures
Recording and broadcasting
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.
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 judgeWashington GR 16, Courtroom Photography and Recording by the News Media ↗
Statewide
If a Washington judge limits courtroom photography or recording, GR 16 requires particularized findings on the record and treats open access as presumed.
Open access is presumed; limitations on access must be supported by reasons found by the judge to be sufficiently compelling to outweigh that presumptionWashington GR 16, Courtroom Photography and Recording by the News Media ↗
Published courtroom rules
Shared court rules
Washington GR 16, Courtroom Photography and Recording by the News Media
Court of Appeals - Division III
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 ↗ · Collected 2026-07-26Sources
Identity source checked July 26, 2026.
Biography sources checked October 11, 2026.
Washington State Administrative Office of the Courts official judicial roster
Identity source · HTML · Source checked July 26, 2026
View Washington State Administrative Office of the Courts official judicial roster ↗CourtListener judicial biographical directory
Identity source · HTML · Source checked August 2, 2026
View CourtListener judicial biographical directory ↗Washington GR 16, Courtroom Photography and Recording by the News Media
Statewide source · PDF · Source checked July 26, 2026
View Washington GR 16, Courtroom Photography and Recording by the News Media ↗