---
title: "Yvonne Chin | KnowJudges"
canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/yvonne-chin-judge-king-county-district-court-west-division-seattle-facility-11766-wa"
page_type: "judge_profile"
updated: "2026-10-07"
---

# Yvonne Chin

King County District Court · Judge

## Profile

- Court: King County District 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=11766&orgid=1062)
- [Official roster](https://www.courts.wa.gov/court_dir/index.cfm?fa=court_dir.persondetail&indid=11766&orgid=1062)
- [Washington State Administrative Office of the Courts official judicial roster](https://www.courts.wa.gov/court_dir/index.cfm?fa=court_dir.persondetail&indid=11766&orgid=1062)
- [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)

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## Biography

### Professional career

- Nonpartisan judge of the King County District Court’s West Division in Seattle, appointed in January 2026, with a background in civil legal aid, public interest law, and diverse litigation experience
- She also held the role of Judge and Magistrate Pro Tempore in Seattle Municipal Court and practiced in Washington, Illinois, and federal court
- Judge Chin emphasizes equity, access to justice, fairness, and respect for all parties, drawing on her years of public service and legal practice to ensure courts are fair, accessible, and grounded in the law

### Education

- in Political Science (with a correlate in Philosophy), Vassar College — B.A.

### Additional information

- Her term runs through January 11, 2027, and she is running for re‐election in the November 3, 2026 general election.
- Unanimously appointed by the King County Council on January 27, 2026 to the West Division of the King County District Court.
- Defamation, personal injury, immigration, and Public Records Act cases
- Before joining the bench, Judge Chin was a dedicated civil legal aid and public interest attorney with the Sexual Violence Law Center (as Legal Director) and the ACLU of Washington.
- Rated “Exceptionally Well Qualified” by multiple local bar associations, including the King County Bar Association, King County Women Lawyers, the Latina/o Bar Association, and the Loren Miller Bar Association.



## 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.
