--- title: "William J. Stewart | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/william-j-stewart-judge-grays-harbor-county-municipal-courts-montesano-390-wa" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-07-26" --- # William J. Stewart Grays Harbor County - Municipal Courts - Montesano · Judge ## Profile - Court: Grays Harbor County - Municipal Courts - Montesano - 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=390&orgid=427) - [Official roster](https://www.courts.wa.gov/court_dir/index.cfm?fa=court_dir.persondetail&indid=390&orgid=427) - [Washington State Administrative Office of the Courts official judicial roster](https://www.courts.wa.gov/court_dir/index.cfm?fa=court_dir.persondetail&indid=390&orgid=427) - [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/william-j-stewart-judge-grays-harbor-county-municipal-courts-montesano-390-wa", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/william-j-stewart-judge-grays-harbor-county-municipal-courts-montesano-390-wa", "name": "William J. 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Stewart", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/william-j-stewart-judge-grays-harbor-county-municipal-courts-montesano-390-wa" } ] } ] } ``` ## 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. ## 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.