The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington continues to closely monitor the national, state, and local responses to the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) and is following guidance provided by the Administrative Office of the United States Courts (AO), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and state and local health officials. Court operations within the Western District of Washington are currently governed by General Order 04-23, General Order 12-22, General Order 10-22, General Order 07-22, General Order 06-22, General Order 05-22, General Order 04-22, General Order 03-22, General Order 01-22, General Order 16-21, General Order 14-21, General Order 13-21, General Order 11-21, General Order 10-21, General Order 09-21, General Order 06-21, General Order 04-21, General Order 18-20, General Order 17-20, General Order 15-20, General Order 14-20, General Order 13-20, General Order 12-20, General Order 11-20, General Order 10-20, General Order 09-20, General Order 08-20, General Order 07-20, General Order 04-20, General Order 03-20 and General Order 02-20. We will continue to post updates to general court operations to this website.
Criminal and Civil Hearings
In-person civil hearings and trials may proceed as scheduled. Civil bench and jury trials may be conducted remotely over Zoom.gov if good cause is established for such a procedure on a case-by-case basis, at the discretion of individual judges.
In-person criminal hearings and trials may proceed as scheduled.
Public access connection information for hearings and trials will be provided on the Court's public website, as available. Members of the public and media are strictly prohibited from recording or broadcasting any hearing, in whole or in part, in any fashion, and must mute their phones for the entirety of the hearing.
View currently scheduled virtual hearings
Attorneys will be sent Zoom connection information for their hearings. Please see Remote Hearing Information for Attorneys for Zoom instructions and training information.
Public Access to the Courthouse
As of June 30, 2021, the Courthouses are open to the public. Lobby drop boxes to deposit documents for filing and payments for the District Clerk's Office remain available. Members of the public who wish to view a criminal proceeding or trial will be directed to the Court's website to access video streaming of those proceedings.
Bureau of Prisons / FDC SeaTac COVID-19 pandemic response documents are available here.
Filings and Payments
The Clerk’s Office windows are open to the public Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. Staff are also available by phone during regular business hours of 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday.
Documents from pro se litigants, courtesy copies and payments may be sent by postal mail or dropped off at the United States Courthouses:
- Seattle: 700 Stewart St, Suite 2310, Seattle WA 98101
- Tacoma: 1717 Pacific Avenue, Room 3100, Tacoma WA 98402
New case documents from pro se litigants may be emailed to:
The court’s electronic filing system continues to be available 24/7 and may be used by anyone who has registered with the court. Check individual judges' pages for courtesy copy requirements during the COVID-19 crisis.
Emergency filings should follow the established procedures as outlined on our web site.
All CVB matters are currently being held by video/telephone conference only. If you received a CVB citation, visit the CVB page of our website for details.
Last Updated 07/08/2022