• Courtroom Number: E-713
• Bailiff: Michael Nguyen
• Department: 36
• Assignment: Civil

Biography

Judge Benjamin Santos serves in Department 36 of the King County Superior Court. His appointment to the bench by the governor followed a 20-year career in the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, where he led the Special Assault Unit, handling the most serious sexual assault and child abuse cases. He also led the District Court Unit, served as Vice Chair of the Domestic Violence Unit, and concluded his tenure as Assistant Chief Deputy in the Juvenile Division.

Judge Santos earned his undergraduate degree from Washington State University. Before attending law school, he worked in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District, supporting community development through coordination with government, stadium developers, and local stakeholders. He received his law degree from American University in Washington, D.C., where he interned with the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division and the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia. After law school, he clerked for then-King County Superior Court Judge Mary Yu, now a Justice on the Washington Supreme Court.