Washington Courts Report

In this episode, host Patric Haerle talks with Chris Simonsmeier (Clark County Juvenile Court Administrator and WAJCA President) and Jack Murphy (Douglas County Juvenile Court Administrator and incoming WAJCA President). They discuss the work of the Washington Association of Juvenile Court Administrators, new developments in juvenile justice, and how detention alternatives and diversion programs a...

In this episode of the Washington Courts Report, host Patric Haerle speaks with Marie Docter, Attorney at Briggs and Briggs and President of the Thurston County Bar Association, about the Lawyers in the Classroom program. On Law Day on May 1, the Washington State Bar Association partnered with the Administrative Office of the Courts and the Washington Supreme Court to launch a statewide classroom...

April is Second Chance Month. A month dedicated to informing and highlighting the many opportunities for state, local, and tribal governments and community-based service providers to build meaningful second chances for people returning from incarceration. To mark the occasion, host Patric Haerle sat down with the AOC’s own Yvonne Jones, a Senior Court Program Analyst, to discuss reentry programs,...

It’s Civic Learning Week — a national effort to highlight the importance of civic education in sustaining and strengthening our democracy. To mark the occasion, host Patric Haerle sits down with Supreme Court Justice Sal Mungia for a conversation on all things civics: why civics education matters, the role of Mock Trials and the Traveling Court program, his recent experience serving jury duty and...

  Want to catch up on some of the biggest developments from the past year in Washington Courts? Tune in to the latest episode of Washington Courts Report! In this episode, host Patric Haerle walks through key takeaways from the 2026 State of the Judiciary Report, released this week to inform lawmakers and the public about the challenges, innovations, leadership updates, and major court news from t...

What makes a great court administrator? Find out in the newest episode of Washington Courts Report! In our January edition, host Patric Haerle talks with Marlynn Markley, the 2025 Court Manager of the Year, about her 43 years of service with Whitman County District Court and what it takes to be an effective court administrator. In the second half, Patric is joined by Dawn Marie Rubio, State Court...

In our November edition, host Patric Haerle explores the vital work of the Washington Supreme Court’s Minority and Justice Commission (MJC). The Commission is dedicated to ensuring that all courts in Washington remain free of bias, so that justice is administered fairly and impartially. Listen in as Patric speaks with Judge Veronica Galvan, co-chair of the Commission, and Frank Thomas, Senior Comm...

In this episode of the Washington Courts Report, we explore the groundbreaking work of the Disability Justice Task Force (DJTF), formed by the Washington State Supreme Court in January 2022 to transform how people with disabilities experience the court system. Host Patric Haerle speaks with Supreme Court Justice Helen Whitener and AOC Senior Program Analyst Joslyn Nelson about the first-of-its-kin...

Another episode of AOC’s podcast, “Washington Courts Report” is now live! Listen in as host Patric Haerle interviews Kyle Landry, a Court Security Consultant for the AOC as they sit down and discuss all things court security. Landry oversees AOC’s Courthouse Security Office, which advises courts on best practices, conducts security assessments, supports court security committees, coordinates secur...

This edition focuses on judicial well-being, as host Patric Haerle speaks with Spokane Municipal Court Judge Mary Logan about the Judicial Assistance Services Program (JASP). Chaired by Judge Logan, JASP is a joint committee of SCJA and DMCJA that provides confidential support to judicial officers through trained peer counselors, fellow judges and referrals to professional help. Founded in 2004, J...

In this edition, host Patric Haerle is joined by Haily Perkins, Supervisor of the AOC’s Office of Judicial and Legislative Relations, and Court of Appeals Division II Judge Rebecca Glasgow, Chair of the Board for Judicial Administration’s Legislative Committee. Tune in to hear highlights from the 2025 legislative session, including a discussion of key bills impacting judicial operations. Perkins a...

In this edition, host Patric Haerle interviews the Executive Director of Central Washington Legal Aid Quinn Dalan and Yakima Municipal Court Commissioner Wendy Winfield. who founded Yakima’s Courthouse Clinic Program, which received a 2024 Innovating Justice Awards for its work to finalize family law cases in Yakima. The award recognizes individuals or groups for providing exceptional leadership i...

In this edition, host Patric Haerle interviews one of the recipients of the 2024 Innovating Justice Awards, Dom Hardeman, Pierce County District Court’s Probation Manager, on Pierce County’s one-of-a-kind Pathways to Progress Program. The award recognizes individuals or groups for providing exceptional leadership in helping courts across Washington State deliver innovative and responsive justice u...

For our March edition of Washington Courts Report, host Patric Haerle interviewed the AOC’s own Chris Stanley, the Chief Financial and Management Officer for the AOC, and Robin Zimmermann, the Blake External Relations Liaison on the important work of the Blake Refund Bureau. In 2021, the Washington State Supreme Court found the law criminalizing drug possession unconstitutional. As a result of thi...

For today's episode, Patric interviewed program analyst for the AOC, Lauren Pilnick, and Survivor Advocate, Jamie Sullivan, on their role they’ve played in the launch of the state’s Hope Card program, which launched on January 1st of this year. The Hope Card Program makes it easier for individuals with full civil protection orders to carry important details about their orders. These wallet-sized,...

Washington Courts Report is back! In this special episode, Patric returns from a hiatus to cover the recent State of the Judiciary publication and address from recently elected Chief Justice Debra Stephens. Topics covered include building courts of the future, Yakima’s Courthouse Clinic, AOC’s work with therapeutic courts, the Pierce County Juror Pay Pilot, the important work of the Blake Refund B...

In our newest episode, we have Artificial Intelligence on the brain, as host Patric Haerle sits down to discuss AI — and its potential impacts on the legal system — with two judges from the Washington Data Science and AI Cohort. Highlights from the episode include Judge Ketu Shah’s explanation on the potential benefits of AI to the courts and those in the legal professions at the 11:30 mark in the...

In this edition, host Patric Haerle interviews Pierce County Superior Court Administrator Chris Gaddis to learn about Pierce County’s recently launched Juror Pay Pilot Project. Afterwards, Patric talks with AOC’s own Laurie Louise Sale, Project Manager for the Pay Pilot to learn about AOC’s partnership with Pierce County. Topics of conversation for this episode include the background of the Pay Pi...

In our September episode, host Patric Haerle discusses the Board for Judicial Administration with BJA Co-chair and Pierce County Superior Court Judge Alicia Burton. Topics of conversation include the BJA’s role within Washington’s court system, the process through which the BJA develops court policy, differences between the BJA and other judicial associations, and the current goals and priorities...

In our August episode, host Patric Haerle deep dives into Washington’s Courthouse Facilitator Program, featuring an interview with Becky Turbyfill, a courthouse facilitator for Kitsap county, and AOC’s own Kayley Carrillo, a court program analyst for Washington’s Courthouse Facilitator Program. Listen as they discuss the role of facilitators in Washington courts, the distinction between procedural...

In our July episode, host Patric Haerle interviews Tonia McClanahan, co-chair of the Family Reunification Day Steering Committee. Tonia talks about the parental experience within the dependency process, the importance of reunification, events being held this summer celebrating family reunification, and what makes them successful. We would like to hear what is happening in your court and what issue...

In our debut episode we cover Washington’s Therapeutic Court Month, including a recent proclamation from the governor declaring May 2024 as Therapeutic Court Month, the launch of Washington’s Therapeutic Court Alumni Association, a new tool from American University assessing racial and ethnic disparities in therapeutic courts, and Washington representation at a national conference for treatment an...