The Judicial Institute is a nonprofit organization dedicated to diversifying Washington state’s judiciary. Led by a volunteer board of directors, the Judicial Institute organizes its main program every two years for diverse legal professionals seeking a pathway to the bench. The Judicial Institute, in partnership with Seattle University School of Law, also collaborates with minority bar associations, the judiciary, local and state bar associations, law schools, law firms and private corporations to promote diversity in the judiciary.
Advisory Board
Judge Johanna Bender
Judge Bender was appointed to the King County Superior Court bench by Governor Inslee and joined the court on December 1, 2015. She served as a King County District Court Judge from 2012-2015.
Judge Bender has considerable interest and expertise in partnerships between the legal system and behavioral health providers to maximize services for community members in crisis. While on the District Court bench, Judge Bender presided over the County’s Regional Mental Health Court and Regional Veterans Court programs. She co-chaired the King County Mental Illness and Drug Dependency Oversight Committee from 2014 to 2016, presided over the Superior Court Involuntary Treatment Act calendar in 2017, and chaired the County’s Involuntary Treatment Act Oversight Committee from 2017-2019. Judge Bender currently presides over the King County Recovery Pilot Project, the County’s first use of a therapeutic treatment court model to serve patients upon their release from involuntary hospitalization.
A 1991 graduate of Brown University, Judge Bender served as a domestic violence advocate at the Domestic Abuse Women’s Network from 1992-1993. After graduating from the University of Washington School of Law in 1996, Judge Bender worked in the public and private sectors before taking the bench. She was a staff attorney at The Defender Association from 1996-2000, clerked for The Honorable Marsha J. Pechman, United States District Court Judge, from 2000-2002, and was an associate attorney at Gordon, Murray, Tilden LLP from 2002-2006. From 2006 until her appointment to District Court in 2012, Judge Bender served as a Pro Tem Judge throughout Western Washington.
Judge Bender has been a longtime advocate for access to and equity in the justice system. She was appointed by Governor Inslee as a Trustee of the Legal Foundation of Washington and has previously served as a liaison to the statewide Access to Justice Board. Prior to her appointment to the bench, Judge Bender volunteered for many years for Legal Voice, a civil legal aid organization dedicated to advancing legal rights for women.
Judge Bender currently serves on the Advisory Board for the Judicial Institute, a program dedicated to increasing diversity on the Washington State bench. She is also a member of the Minority and Justice Commission, a statewide body convened by the Washington Supreme Court to improve equity and fairness in the justice system. In her home court, Judge Bender sits on the Executive, Personnel, and Community Partnership Committees.
Judge Rebecca Glasgow
Judge Rebecca Glasgow was elected to Division Two of the Washington Court of Appeals in 2018 and began serving as Chief in 2022. Prior to joining the bench, she served as a Deputy Solicitor General in the Washington Attorney General’s Office arguing cases primarily in the Washington Supreme Court and the Ninth Circuit. She also served as general counsel to the Washington Secretary of State. Before joining the Attorney General’s Office, she served as a law clerk at the Washington Supreme Court for Justices Bobbe Bridge and Susan Owens.
Judge Glasgow has a long history of service to her community and was named a Washington State Bar Association “Local Hero” in 2014. She volunteered at her local legal clinic for more than a decade, helping clients who could not afford an attorney. Judge Glasgow has served as the statewide President of Washington Women Lawyers and is now a co-chair of Washington’s Gender and Justice Commission. She also served on the Racial Justice Consortium. Judge Glasgow is a founding member of the Judicial Institute, which promotes the election and appointment of people of color, LGBTQ+ people, and women to the bench. She has also served on the University of Washington Law School Dean’s Leadership Council. Rebecca has received the Washington Women Lawyers Legacy Award and the Washington State Bar Association’s Outstanding Judge Award.
Judge Glasgow graduated magna cum laude from Wake Forest University and with honors from the University of Washington School of Law, where she was an executive editor of the Washington Law Review.
Judge Glasgow and her husband live with their son, dog, and chickens in Thurston County.
Judge Jason Poydras
Judge Jason Poydras was born and raised in South Central, Los Angeles, and he now lives in southeast King County with his wife Amy. In 2002, Judge Poydras moved to the Seattle area to attend Seattle University School of Law based on the institution’s commitment to social justice.
A fundamental desire to assist others led Judge Poydras to pursue the legal field, and it has consistently been the primary source of inspiration and motivation throughout his legal career. Jason’s legal career began with the practice of criminal law, first as a public defender in Seattle and later as a deputy prosecutor in Pierce County. Next, he pursed the opportunity to become a judicial officer with the goal of enhancing his ability to serve the public.
Judge Poydras began adjudicating hearings as a Hearing Examiner with the Washington State Department of Licensing. Next, Judge Poydras was appointed as an Administrative Law Judge with the Washington State Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH). In addition to holding administrative hearings for individuals and administrative agencies looking to resolve significant legal disputes at OAH, he joined the management team in the Seattle Field Office as a Senior Administrative Law Judge.
In April, 2017, Judge Poydras was unanimously appointed to the King County District Court by the King County Council. District Court is sometimes referred to as “The People’s Court” because it is the level of court where many people have their first, and sometimes their only experience, with our justice system. Judge Poydras became a judge because he wanted to expand the reach and impact of his efforts to serve the public. He brings the Court a balanced and service-oriented perspective as a former public defender and deputy prosecutor. This perspective has been refined by the strong judicial foundation that accompanies Judge Poydras’s over 10 years of experience as a neutral decision maker. Jason continually aims to serve King County as a judge that is honest and fair, and treats all parties with respect, and dignity. Judge Poydras also works to foster the public’s confidence in the judicial system by improving access to the court and creating an environment where all parties feel as though they were heard and able to meaningfully participate in the judicial process, regardless of the outcomes in their cases.
Judge Tanya Thorp
Judge Thorp was appointed to the King County Superior Court bench on May 1, 2014. She presides over all types of cases including civil litigation, criminal litigation, family law cases, and appeals from limited jurisdiction tribunals.
Prior to joining the bench, Judge Thorp worked for the Labor and Industries Division of the Attorney General’s Office, where she litigated worker safety cases in Washington’s oil refineries. Her cases included the seven worker fatality at the Tesoro Anacortes Refinery in 2010, the 2012 fire at the BP Cherry Point Refinery, and several cases involving Shell’s Anacortes Refinery. Before working in the Labor and Industries Division, Judge Thorp worked for almost ten years in the Social and Health Services Division, where she litigated child welfare cases first in Pierce and Kitsap Counties and then King County.
Judge Thorp attended the University of Washington from 1996–1999 where she majored in Political Science, with a minor in Society and Justice. Two days after finishing undergrad, she started law school at Seattle University School of Law. Judge Thorp was a member of the Black Law Student Association (BLSA) and Veteran Legal Society (VLS) while attending law school. After her first year in law school, she worked at the Associated Counsel for the Accused as the felony drug court intern. After her second year of law school, she worked for King County as a Rule 9 Deputy Prosecuting Attorney in the Juvenile Division. She graduated cum laude from law school in 2002.
Judge Thorp currently serves on the King County Superior Court Local Rules Committee, Family Law Committee, and Technology Committee as well as the Superior Court Judges Association Family and Juvenile Law Committee. She also holds a Board position with the Judicial Institute after serving four years on the Executive Board for the Loren Miller Bar Association. Judge Thorp has served on the King County Superior Court Jury Committee and on the WSBA Diversity Committee. Judge Thorp received the Ronald R. Ward President’s Award from the Loren Miller Bar Association in May 2017. Judge Thorp also received the Seattle University School of Law Black Law Student Association Alumni Award in February 2016.