Judges & courts

Pierce County District Court Judge

Position 8

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 Pierce County.

Candidates Compare by issue

Sven Nelson

No party listed

Deputy prosecuting attorney; judge pro tempore

The gist

Led the county's Elder Abuse Multidisciplinary Team for a decade.
Pledges attention to how rulings affect victims and defendants.

More about Sven

View sources (1)

Led the county's Elder Abuse Multidisciplinary Team for a decade.
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
“coordinating law enforcement, prosecutors, and social services to better protect vulnerable adults.”
Pledges attention to how rulings affect victims and defendants.
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
“His experience on both sides of the bench provides a practical understanding of how a judge's decisions affect victims, defendants, and families.”

James Armstrong

No party listed

Attorney; municipal and district court judge pro tem

The gist

Pledges a fair, orderly and efficient courtroom.
Led Bremerton Municipal Court's budget and staff as presiding judge.

More about James

View sources (1)

Pledges a fair, orderly and efficient courtroom.
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
“I will bring that leadership to the Pierce County District Court to command a fair, orderly, and efficient courtroom.”
Led Bremerton Municipal Court's budget and staff as presiding judge.
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
“As the Presiding Judge at Bremerton Municipal Court, I exercised full responsibility for the court’s budget, personnel, and day-to-day operations.”

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.