By Jason Cruz
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Bianca Tse
Bianca Tse never envisioned running for elected office. However, she is taking the leap and running for an open seat on the judicial bench in the Northeast Division of King County District Court.
Tse is looking to fill the vacancy by Judge Marcus Nailor, who is retiring at the end of the year. In the Northeast Division, there are seven judicial positions. Of the eight, Nailor is the only person of color.
She said she was approached by two judges that thought she would be a good fit for the job.
Tse emigrated from Hong Kong as a child with her family. She was raised in Renton, Washington. She attended the University of Washington before going to law school in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Tse attended Tulane Law School with plans to specialize in admiralty law, as the school has one of the nation’s best programs in that field. However, in her third year of law school, she decided that she wanted to be in court. This brought her back to Washington, where she served as a prosecutor.
Tse, a former King County Prosecutor, touts her time in court and her civil legal experience after she left.
“The reason why I’m running is because I have the legal experience and the skill set that makes me uniquely qualified for this position. And as a former King County deputy prosecutor for 16 years, I spent my entire career at that office as a trial attorney. I was trained as a trial attorney. And in that capacity, I have tried a wide variety of cases, including homicide, assaults, robberies, burglaries, domestic violence cases, and property offenses as well. So I’m very familiar with the trial process and the courtroom process. And on top of that, I have, as a former prosecutor, my caseload was huge. Oftentimes I would be in trials back to back.”
In addition, Tse serves as a judge pro tem (a temporary judge that handles certain legal matters that are usually small in nature such as traffic citations) in King County.
“I’ve been doing it since 2021,” Tse said, “I have served all across King County.” In addition to serving as a pro tem in King County District Court, she has also served in Mercer Island, Shoreline, and Auburn.
Tse transitioned into private practice in 2015 to help her brother with his law firm while he was ill. After his unfortunate passing, Tse took over the firm, Tse & Associates, where she serves the Asian community and beyond as a bilingual attorney in real estate and landlord/tenant work.
The Asian Bar Association of Washington evaluated judicial candidates and awarded her its highest rating, “Extremely Well Qualified.” The process includes a comprehensive interview of the candidate examining their qualifications.
Tse feels deeply about being a public servant which drew her to the position. She recalls prosecuting a husband who had been abusing his wife for years.
“[T]hey’re from a different country and they immigrated to the U.S. and unfortunately, the abuse continued.” She recalls meeting with the victim and noting how grateful she was that someone was finally standing up for her and believed her. “For me, those types of cases are the experiences I go back to. And I feel that since I have the skills and the legal experience and the ability, I want to keep serving my community.”
She emphasizes fairness in the judicial system and the importance of public confidence in impartiality, particularly in King County. “One of the main reasons why I am running is not just my work experience and my qualifications, but my commitment to fairness and dignity for my community.”
Currently, there are three attorneys vying for the same position. If Tse is one of the top two vote getters in the primaries in August, she will move to the general election in November.
Jason can be reached at newstips@nwasianweekly.com.
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