Judges & courts

King County District Court Judge

Southwest Electoral District, Position 5, Short and full term

Vote for: 1
Term: 4 years
Candidates: 2
Election: Nov 3, 2026

What this office does: District court judges hear misdemeanors, traffic cases, small claims and civil cases up to $100,000 in King County.

Candidates Compare by issue

Noel Merfeld

No party listed

Dependency attorney representing children

The gist

Supports court facilitators to help self-represented litigants.
Pledges to impose jail when needed to protect the public.
Supports judges working with community partners and treatment providers.

More about Noel

View sources (1)

Supports court facilitators to help self-represented litigants.
Values
Campaign website · Merfeld for Judge · merfeldforjudge.com
“Noel supports expanding assistance for people representing themselves, including considering the use of court facilitators”
Pledges to impose jail when needed to protect the public.
Values
Campaign website · Merfeld for Judge · merfeldforjudge.com
“Noel will impose jail when the facts of an individual case show that it is necessary to protect the public or achieve a just result.”
Supports judges working with community partners and treatment providers.
Values
Campaign website · Merfeld for Judge · merfeldforjudge.com
“Noel believes judges should engage with community organizations and service providers”

Renee Walls

No party listed

Judge Pro Tem; Prosecuting Attorney

The gist

Pledges fair, balanced and efficient justice from the bench.

More about Renee

View sources (1)

Pledges fair, balanced and efficient justice from the bench.
Candidate statement, Online Voters' Guide, November 3, 2026 General Election
Provided by the campaign · Washington Secretary of State (statement written by the candidate) · voter.votewa.gov
“presiding over literally thousands of cases and delivering fair, balanced, and efficient justice”

Challengers are listed first and incumbents last; otherwise candidates appear in ballot order. The Gist does not rank, rate or endorse candidates. Only positions backed by a cited source are shown; 1 issue covered in this race.