KYJKnow Your Judge v0.6.2by SwansLake
Judge directoryBenjamin Santos

Active Trial judge

Benjamin Santos

King County - Superior Court

Washington · King County

Identity verifiedOfficial profile locatedOfficial sources collectedPresentation intelligence
01

Overview

Identity and service

Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge.

Judicial role
Judge
Service status
Active
Court level
Trial
Jurisdiction
State
02

Before you appear

Preparation checklist

  1. 01

    Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed.

  2. 02

    Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance.

  3. 03

    Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding.

Scope note

Statewide and courtwide guidance is labeled by scope and is not evidence of a personal preference. Division, judge-specific, or case-specific orders may control.

03

Presentation rules

What the public sources say

StatewideExplicit
Courtroom Proceeding

Washington GR 16 allows video recording, audio recording, and still photography by the news media in courtrooms only after the judge has expressly granted permission.

Page
pdf
Section
GR 16(a)
Last checked
July 26, 2026
Verification
Automated checks passed
Read supporting source excerpt
Video and audio recording and still photography by the news media are allowed in the courtroom during and between sessions, provided (1) that permission shall have first been expressly granted by the judge

The requirement is stated in an official statewide source and is attached as applicable guidance, not as a personal preference.

StatewideExplicit
Courtroom Proceeding

If a Washington judge limits courtroom photography or recording, GR 16 requires particularized findings on the record and treats open access as presumed.

Page
pdf
Section
GR 16(c)
Last checked
July 26, 2026
Verification
Automated checks passed
Read supporting source excerpt
Open access is presumed; limitations on access must be supported by reasons found by the judge to be sufficiently compelling to outweigh that presumption

The requirement is stated in an official statewide source and is attached as applicable guidance, not as a personal preference.

04

Courtroom technology

Published equipment guidance

No technology specification indexed

Technology availability is separate from procedural permission and evidentiary admissibility.

05

Published opinion footprint

Decisions and citations

Opinion data is not yet indexed for this profile

This does not mean the judge has no published opinions or no caseload. KYJ will only show opinion counts after transparent, source-linked CourtListener matching is available.

06

Sources

Public documents behind this profile

07

Change history

How this profile entered KYJ

Current profile indexed

Identity imported from Washington State Administrative Office of the Courts. 2 presentation-related claims migrated with source provenance.