William J. Stewart at a glance
- Current role
- Judge
- Jurisdiction
- Washington · State
- Judicial service
- Active
William J. Stewart
Biography
Professional career
- Longtime municipal court judge in Montesano, Washington, serving on the Grays Harbor County bench for nearly 30 years before retiring in 2018.
- Early Career: Practiced law in Montesano with his father, James Stewart, a longtime attorney
Education
- Montesano High School graduate (1975); studied at the University of Puget Sound, earning both his undergraduate degree and law degree.
Additional information
- Appointed to the Hoquiam Municipal Court in 1988 by then–mayor Phyllis Shrauger, the city’s first female mayor.
- Served in the role for almost three decades, presiding over a wide range of misdemeanor cases, including DUI, domestic disputes, assaults, and minor drug offenses.
- Judicial Service: Served in four different decades on the bench
- handling nearly every type of misdemeanor case.
- His work often addressed the impact of the local economy on criminal behavior, noting that economic hardship contributed to cycles of fines, license suspensions, and repeated offenses.
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
Grays Harbor County - Municipal Courts - Montesano
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 ↗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 ↗