Before Yet Happens
Exploring the Realities of the Washington Family Court System
Presented by A4 Safety Alliance
Across Washington’s thirty-nine counties, Superior Court judges hold extraordinary power
over the most fragile cases — families in crisis, children at risk, survivors seeking safety.
Roughly a hundred and forty-three judges serve statewide, and the majority first reach the bench through
gubernatorial appointment, while others are elected by the public. Many arrive on the family-law bench
with little to no formal training in domestic violence, coercive control, or the
hidden trauma of familial sexual abuse.
Under Washington’s broad discretionary family-court laws, those gaps in training matter
— because when interpretation varies from bench to bench, bias can shape outcomes,
and children’s safety is placed at risk.
Many Guardians ad Litem lack the expertise, training, and time
needed to truly assess safety from the child’s perspective. And that
leaves dangerous gaps — reports riddled with inaccuracies, lapses in professionalism, and a misuse of evidence that can distort the truth.
Without specialized understanding of domestic
violence or abuse dynamics, leaving recommendations
reinforcing harm instead of preventing it.
“The parents will divide custody of the kids and the kids are essentially property.”
It creates jobs, broken systems create jobs.