Hoping to process evictions quicker, King County adds two judges

King County will add two new judges to its Superior Court, hoping to process some eviction cases more quickly after a recent law change.

This year, King County Superior Court adopted an emergency rule allowing landlords to seek a trial more quickly when they can show evidence that a tenant’s behavior is “substantially” affecting other tenants’ health and safety or increasing fire or accident hazards.

Eviction filings have surged since pandemic-era restrictions ended, causing a backlog of cases and nearly pushing the court to a breaking point.

The emergency rule allows eviction cases with health and safety risks to go before one of the court’s judges instead of one of just three commissioners who can handle constitutional issues.

“Everyone is entitled to their day in court. We are grateful to the King County Council for recognizing more judicial resources are necessary to provide this essential right,” Superior Court Presiding Judge Ketu Shah said in a news release. “These new judge positions give us the capacity to handle existing and incoming unlawful detainers, ensuring that people with all types of cases have timely, meaningful access to justice.”

The change might have only a minor effect on King County’s total eviction backlog because the majority of eviction cases involve unpaid rent rather than dangerous behavior. More than 60% of King County eviction cases last year cited unpaid rent, while 3% cited waste, nuisance, health or safety issues, according to state data from cases in which tenants had an appointed attorney.

The new judge positions should also help with civil protection orders, according to the news release. The King County Prosecutor’s Office said it has seen a 28% increase in protection order filings since 2019.

The additions take effect in January and will bring the court’s total number of judges to 56. King County and the state each pay half of each judge’s salary. The Metropolitan King County Council approved the additions Nov. 19.

“The public can be reassured that we don’t just willy-nilly add judges,” County Council Member Claudia Balducci said at the Nov. 12 meeting of the Budget and Fiscal Management Committee. “We do it because there’s a very good analytical basis and demand for the court to do so.”