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 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 also played a leadership role in launching 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 and as a member of the Washington State Supreme Court Minority and Justice Commission. 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.
In King County Superior Court, Judge Bender currently presides over child welfare matters. She has filled numerous leadership roles in the Court, including as Assistant Chief Criminal Judge, the Lead Involuntary Treatment Judge, and the Chief Judge at the Maleng Regional Justice Center.
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.
Judge TaTeasha Davis
As a proud Judicial Institute Alumni, Judge TaTeasha Davis has taken her dedicated approach to public service with her onto the Pierce County Superior Court bench.
Since Governor Inslee’s appointment in January 2023 Judge Davis has proven herself to be an effective, reasoned, and respectful judicial leader.
Judge Davis is a Kansas City, Missouri native and has made Washington her home since 2005. After double majoring in English and History at the University of Missouri, Columbia and earning her Bachelor of Arts and Science in 2002, she obtained her Juris Doctorate from Washburn University School of Law in 2005. Judge Davis primarily practiced in Civil litigation for firms such as Macey & Aleman before opening her own private practice in 2008. Then in 2015, she began representing survivors of domestic violence in family law trials as the Pierce County YWCA staff attorney. Thereafter, Judge Davis worked as the Senior Associate at Bighorse and Associates before being appointed to the Indeterminate Sentence Review Board (ISRB) by Governor Inslee in he midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. Her role as a quasi judicial officer on the ISRB centered around presiding over release and revocation hearings for a specified population of incarcerated individuals.
Judge Davis has continuously served the community, both as a practicing attorney and as a sitting judge. As a practicing attorney, she volunteered legal services at Catherine’s Place and Tacoma Pro Bono. She also served as a Board Member for the Pierce County YWCA and Associated Ministries. As the sitting Judge for Pierce County Superior Court, Department 1, Judge Davis serves on the Washington Gender and Justice Commission, Judicial Education Committee, Lawyers Feeding Hungry Children Board, and is a member of the Pierce County Minority Bar Association. Collaborating with fellow judicial officers and community partners is essential to the continuing improvement of our justice system; however, if you ask Judge Davis what she values in her role as a judicial officer above all, she would respond, “Mentorship.” Judge Davis leads by example and never takes for granted the opportunity to mentor an aspiring lawyer or future judicial officer.
On any given day after work you can find Judge Davis working in her garden, playing with her 50 lb Bernedoodle Penny, and spending time with her husband.
Judge Leah Taguba
The King County Council unanimously appointed Leah Taguba to the King County District Court bench in 2021. As the daughter of immigrant parents, Judge Taguba grew up in South King County and is the first Filipino American woman to be appointed to the King County District Court bench. Judge Taguba is currently assigned to the Auburn Courthouse location where she presides over Auburn cases, as well as the Auburn Community Court.
After graduating Southwestern School of Law, Judge Taguba served as a King County Prosecuting Attorney (KCPAO) for over fifteen years. As a prosecutor, she handled cases ranging from criminal misdemeanors through third strike felony offenses. She made charging decisions; negotiated thousands of cases to resolution; and went to trial as the prosecutor of various crimes. After gaining years of trial experience, Judge Taguba transitioned into leadership positions supervising the KCPAO’s District Court Unit. As a supervisor, Judge Taguba prioritized pursuing justice that balances accountability and rehabilitation of the defendant, with community safety and victim interests. As a King County Prosecutor, Judge Taguba helped develop criminal diversion programs and partnered with community-based organizations and other stakeholders to support therapeutic and restorative approaches to criminal cases.
Judge Taguba’s additional professional experience includes working as a Statistician-Demographer for the U.S. Census Bureau in Washington D.C.
Judge Taguba is committed to helping create a court system that engenders community trust. She believes in fairness and seeks to infuse equity into all aspects of her legal career. Judge Taguba strongly supports alternative and treatment courts, as well as diversion programs from the criminal justice system, where appropriate. As a judge, she also understands the importance and necessity of having members of the judiciary reflect the diverse community it serves. She is committed to the recruitment and mentorship of individuals who come from diverse cultures, nationalities and life experiences who enrich the bench and build community trust.
Judge Taguba is a member of the Washington State Supreme Court’s Minority and Justice Commission and has served on the Race and Criminal Justice Task Force 2.0, and the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee for King County District Court.
Judge Vini Samuel
Judge Vini Samuel was appointed effective January 2, 2024, to the Grays Harbor Superior Court by Governor Inslee. She continues to serve on that Court and is now Assistant Presiding Judge.
Judge Samuel was born in Kerala, India and immigrated to Juneau, Alaska at the age of six and where she resided until graduation from high school. She received her bachelor’s degree from Western Washington University in 1994 and her law degree from Seattle University in 1997 after serving as the National Vice-Chair of the American Bar Association/Law Student Division.
She is licensed to practice in Washington and previously in the U.S. 9th Circuit. She started her career in Grays Harbor in 1997 and opened a solo practice in 2004. She practiced primarily in Grays Harbor and Pacific County and also in Thurston, Lewis, Mason and Quinault Tribal Courts. Her practice focused on domestic litigation, estate planning, and real estate litigation.
In 2015, then attorney Samuel became the first female mayor of Montesano and the first Indian-American woman to be elected mayor in the United States. She was unopposed for mayor in 2019 and served as the only second term mayor for the city of Montesano since the 1970s.
Upon moving into rural Washington, Judge Samuel focused on service to her community which has included being a columnist for The Daily World, as City Councilwoman in Montesano (1999 to 2006), on the Alumni Board of Western Washington University, as an Elder at the Montesano Church of God, on the Executive Board as 1st Vice Chair for the Council of Governments and on the Grays Harbor Communications E-911 Board of Directors.
She remains active in her Church and currently serves on the Foundation Board of Directors for Western Washington University and is a Rotarian.
Her choice to leave private practice for the Bench was motivated by her love of the law and the belief that the rule of law, and the concept that all are equal under the law, forms the foundation of our democracy.