If you have been charged with a DUI in King County and you have been going to Court in the SW Division down in Burien, then pretty soon you will be going to Court at the Regional Justice Center or RJC for short in Kent. Likewise if you have been arrested for a DUI in South King County or even in the Seattle area by certain Target Zero Troopers then your arraignment will be at the RJC if your DUI is filed after the first of week of September.
I have to say I'm sorry to see this move being made. Early in my career I worked as a public defender in SW District Court. Some of my first DUI jury trials, and other trials were there. It's a nice court location, with ample free parking, and it just happens to be next to the best Pho restaurant in Seattle.
The change is being made like all things these days due to budget cuts and the economy. The Courthouse will still be operated by other municipalities but it's days of handling King County cases are gone. With the 99 closure expected in the next few years maybe it's a good thing to travel to Kent instead of Burien.
Now don't get me wrong the RJC is not all that bad. It's a much newer courthouse than the downtown King County courthouse. It is a much nicer facility in a much nicer area. It's not as big as the downtown Court, but it is still one of the bigger Courthouses in all of Washington State.
Additionally the move will also be much easier for the public defenders. The Associated Counsel for the Accused the largest public defense firm in King County has an on office location in Kent. So those attorneys will not have to travel from their office in Kent to Burien for one case. Now they can walk over from their office to the RJC. This will cut down significantly on travel time, and will free up more time for them to work on their cases. Which is great news if you're currently represented by a PD at ACA.
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