--- title: "Tracy A. Staab | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/tracy-a-staab-chief-judge-court-of-appeals-division-iii-1056-wa" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-08-02" --- # Tracy A. Staab Court of Appeals - Division III · Chief Judge ## Profile - Court: Court of Appeals - Division III - State: Washington - Role: Chief Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-26 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## 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. ## 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=1056&orgid=790) - [Official roster](https://www.courts.wa.gov/court_dir/index.cfm?fa=court_dir.persondetail&indid=1056&orgid=790) - [Washington State Administrative Office of the Courts official judicial roster](https://www.courts.wa.gov/court_dir/index.cfm?fa=court_dir.persondetail&indid=1056&orgid=790) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/16233/tracy-staab/) - [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) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/16233/tracy-staab/) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/tracy-a-staab-chief-judge-court-of-appeals-division-iii-1056-wa", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/tracy-a-staab-chief-judge-court-of-appeals-division-iii-1056-wa", "name": "Tracy A. 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