--- title: "Whitney M. Rivera | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/whitney-m-rivera-judge-snohomish-county-superior-court-1073-wa" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-07-26" --- # Whitney M. Rivera Snohomish County - Superior Court · Judge ## Profile - Court: Snohomish 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=1073&orgid=617) - [Official roster](https://www.courts.wa.gov/court_dir/index.cfm?fa=court_dir.persondetail&indid=1073&orgid=617) - [Washington State Administrative Office of the Courts official judicial roster](https://www.courts.wa.gov/court_dir/index.cfm?fa=court_dir.persondetail&indid=1073&orgid=617) - [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/whitney-m-rivera-judge-snohomish-county-superior-court-1073-wa", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/whitney-m-rivera-judge-snohomish-county-superior-court-1073-wa", "name": "Whitney M. 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Rivera", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/whitney-m-rivera-judge-snohomish-county-superior-court-1073-wa" } ] } ] } ``` ## Biography ### Professional career - Judge Rivera was appointed to the Snohomish County Superior Court in April 2024, filling the seat vacated by Judge Anita Farris, and was retained by county voters in November 2024 - The first Asian American Pacific Islander woman to serve on the Snohomish County Superior Court bench, appointed in 2024 after a long career as a public defender and municipal court judge. - Edmonds Municipal Court Judge: Presided over the court for over three years, restarting the Community Court program to address underlying issues of court users - Law Clerk: held the role of a law clerk to Hon - She lives in Edmonds with her partner, Snohomish County Superior Court Judge Paul Thompson, their son, and three rescue dogs ### Education - in Political Science and Literature — University of Washington — B.A. - Boston College Law School — J.D. ### Additional information - Awards: Received the Presidential Award from the District & Municipal Court Judges’ Association in 2023 for legislative work. - Judge Anita L. Farris in 2006. - The first woman of AAPI descent on the Snohomish County Superior Court bench. - Active in local nonprofits, serving on boards for the Hazel Miller Foundation, Edmonds Food Bank, and Edmonds College Foundation. - Public Defender (14 years): Served most of her career with the Snohomish County Public Defender Association, including as a trial attorney, misdemeanor unit supervisor, and appellate public defender at the Washington Appellate Project. - She argued cases before the Washington Court of Appeals and the Washington Supreme Court. - She grew up in Snohomish County, graduated from Edmonds Woodway High School, and is of Chamorro (Guam) descent. - She also volunteers teaching an introduction to law class at Everett High School. ## 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.