Gov. Jay Inslee today announced the appointment of Karen Donohue to the King Court Superior Court. She will replace Judge Hollis Hill, who is retiring.
Donohue is currently the presiding judge in Seattle Municipal Court. She has also served as judge pro-tem in King County District Court and Des Moines Municipal Court.
Donohue previously worked as managing member for FunHub Creative, LLC in Seattle where she was responsible for contract negotiation, business administration, regulatory and compliance issues. She served as general counsel for the Walter Group in Seattle
“Karen has a wide range of judicial experience and has demonstrated her leadership from the bench,” Inslee said. “She has grappled with the administrative aspects of the judiciary — budgets, personnel, and integrating new technology systems — and will bring a tremendous amount valuable knowledge and experience to the Superior Court.”
Last year, Donohue was awarded the Judge William Nevins Award from the Washington Judges Foundation and the Justice Vaino Spencer Leadership Award from the National Association of Women Judges. She serves as a board member for the National Association of Women Judges, is a founding member of the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, serves on the Washington State Supreme Court Gender & Justice Commission's Incarcerated Women & Children Committee and the Washington State Pretrial Reform Taskforce.
Donohue received her law degree from Seattle University School of Law and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington.
Her appointment is effective March 2018.