State Assistant Attorney General Kent Liu attends the trial for the killing of Manny Ellis in Pierce County Superior Court in Tacoma, Wash., Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023. (Ellen Banner/The Seattle Times via AP, Pool)
Gov. Bob Ferguson has appointed longtime prosecutor Kent Liu to the King County Superior Court, filling the vacancy left by Judge Susan H. Amini, who stepped down May 31.
Liu brings nearly 30 years of legal experience to the bench, including 17 years with the Washington Attorney General’s Office. Most recently, he served as managing assistant attorney general and was the first chief of the agency’s Organized Retail Crime Unit.
Before joining the Attorney General’s Office, Liu served as a special assistant U.S. attorney in the Western District of Washington, where he prosecuted violent and firearm-related crimes under the Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative. He also spent more than a decade as a deputy prosecuting attorney in Pierce County, handling homicide, sexual assault, and drug-related cases.
Outside the courtroom, Liu has worked on community initiatives targeting gun violence, provided legal services to low-income families in Seattle’s International District, and served as a pro tem judge with Seattle Municipal Court since 2016.
Liu holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington and a law degree from Seattle University School of Law. His appointment takes effect immediately.