Judge Nicholas Straley - Superior Court

• Courtroom Number: W-928
• Bailiff: Lisa Tran
• Department: 4
• Assignment: Criminal

Judge Straley was appointed to the King County Superior Court bench by Governor Inslee on February 6, 2024 and sworn in on March 4.

He joins the Court after a 26-year career as an attorney with the non-profit law firm Columbia Legal Services (CLS). As an attorney with CLS, Judge Straley represented families at risk of eviction, community organizations attempting to protect affordable quality healthcare, children caught up in the criminal justice system and many other people living on the economic margins. Most recently, Judge Straley litigated class action cases on behalf of people incarcerated in prisons and jails across Washington. He has regularly trained attorneys and community members on legal issues that impact the most vulnerable members of society. Prior to joining CLS in 1997, Judge Straley worked as a Staff Attorney for the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Judge Straley grew up in Seattle and is a graduate of Oberlin College and Cornell Law School.

Rules to Review Before Contacting the Court

Superior Court Local Rules - King County, Washington

Washington State Courts - Court Rules

The Court would like to highlight the following commonly used rules:

Procedures for motions without oral argument - KCLCR 7

Revision & Reconsideration - KCLCR 7

Trial Continuance – KCLCR 40

Ex Parte Procedures - King County Local Civil Rule (KCLCR) 40.1

Summary Judgments - Civil Rule 56, KCLCR 56

Motion to Dismiss - Civil Rule 12, KCLCR 12

Motion to Set Aside Judgment - Civil Rule 60

Electronic Filing and Service by Attorneys – LGR 30

Counsel should review LGR 30, which requires e-filing of documents and requires attorneys to “promptly register to accept e-service via the Clerk’s e-filing application” unless a waiver is obtained. Specific e-filing exceptions can be found here.  Unrepresented parties have the option of utilizing these services. Judge Straley e-files orders, with distribution through the bailiff via email.

Non-Dispositive Motions – KCLCR 7(b)

Parties must comply with LR 7 when setting motions without argument. Department 4 is a paperless Court and prefers working copies via eWorking Copies. Proposed orders in Word format are required as well.  Please make sure Judge Straley’s name and the case information is clearly marked. The Court does not accept working copies via email, absent prior authorization. 

Compliance with Consecutive Page Numbering for Attachments Requirement – KCLCR 7(b)(5)(B)(vii)

“Attachments or exhibits to any filed document, in excess of 25 pages, including motions, oppositions, replies, briefs, declarations, and affidavits, whether in paper or electronic form, shall be numbered consecutively on the bottom center or right-hand corner of each document to aid the court and the parties in navigating through the document. The number shall not restart for each attachment but shall run consecutively through all the attachments to the document. All motions, oppositions, replies, and briefs shall cite to these page numbers. A party may include other citation information, such as exhibit numbers, corresponding exhibit pages or paragraph numbers, in addition to the consecutive page cite.”

Failure to follow this rule can result in the Court delaying your hearing or matter until all parties have complied.

Motion for Order Compelling Discovery – CR 37, KCLCR 37 – or for an Order of Contempt – CR 45(g)

Please pay careful attention to the “meet and confer” requirements of LCR 37(e) and CR 26(i). The conference of counsel must be held in person or by telephone. Email is not a substitute for a dialogue on these issues. A certification by counsel that the conference requirements of these rules have been met is required, and should set out with particularity the nature, extent, and time of the conference. In addition to providing the certification, ordinarily, Judge Straley will expect that the moving party provide a copy of all correspondence between the parties relevant to the motion as part of the moving party’s initial filing. Judge Straley will also expect copies of all such correspondence from a party moving for an order of contempt pursuant to CR 45(g). The moving party should also include an explanation of all the efforts that the moving party has undertaken to seek compliance with a subpoena before filing the motion for contempt.

Requests for Oral Argument on Non-Dispositive Motions

Most motions do not require oral argument under the Civil or Local Rules. If a party would like to request oral argument, the motion should be noted pursuant to the applicable court rules, simply noting in the upper right-hand corner of the working papers “Oral Argument Requested.” If, after reviewing all briefing, the Court determines oral argument is appropriate, the bailiff will contact the parties and set a mutually acceptable time for oral argument.

Dispositive Motions

Parties must contact the court to schedule a motion with oral argument. Dispositive motions are scheduled on Friday mornings and are limited in duration. Judge Straley requires that you check with opposing counsel before scheduling any hearing to make sure that the date works for all counsel. Doing so reduces the need to reschedule hearings due to conflicts. To request a hearing date, please email the bailiff and include the case name, cause number, and type of hearing requested. The bailiff will respond with the court's availability. Parties are encouraged to contact the court far in advance of trial to schedule a dispositive motion, as these time slots are limited. Please confirm your hearing date with the bailiff.

Motions to seal

Motions to seal must comply with GR 15, LGR 15 and controlling caselaw. The agreement of the parties alone is not a sufficient basis for the sealing or redaction of court records. Unredacted materials (hardcopy) should be sent to the Court via the Judges mailroom (516 3^rd Ave, Rm C-203 Seattle, WA 98104).  We do not accept unredacted materials over email.  Briefing and proposed orders should fully and clearly include the title of the documents in question. 

Example:  John Doe’s Declaration in Support of Plaintiff’s Renewed Motion for Summary Judgment.

The moving party shall provide a proposed order that includes the required findings. 

Digitally Recorded Courtroom

The court proceedings in Department 4 are recorded by FTR Gold equipment which digitally records all proceedings. Please visit this link if you wish to order a copy of a court hearing from the Clerk’s Office.

If the parties are requesting a court reporter for a hearing/trial, please notify the bailiff as soon as possible.

Trial Preparation

In preparation for trial, the parties should submit a joint confirmation of trial readiness form and comply with the case schedule provided by the Clerk's Office and the pretrial order. Please notify the court immediately if your case settles or you need to strike a motion.

Judge Straley also requires the parties in every case to provide the Court with a Witness Examination Estimate sheet no later than 5 days before the pretrial conference.

Trial exhibits

For civil trials, parties must comply with the Court’s pretrial conference order. If ordered, parties must upload all exhibits into Case Center no later than five court days before the scheduled trial date.

Case Center is a program that allows exhibits to be electronically transferred, viewed, and filed with the Court for purposes of hearings and trial. The Case Center exhibit system is used for trial, where there is an Order of Pre-Trial Conference entered by a judicial officer that requires Case Center.

More information regarding Case Center can be found here: Electronic Exhibits - King County, Washington