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Ricardo Martinez (Washington)

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Ricardo Martinez

United States District Court for the Western District of Washington (senior status)

Tenure

2022 - Present

Years in position

Prior offices

United States District Court for the Western District of Washington

Education

Personal

Ricardo Martinez is a federal judge on senior status with the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington. He joined the court in 2004 after being nominated by President George W. Bush (R). He served as chief judge from February 2016 to September 2022. He assumed senior status on September 5, 2022.^[1]

Biography

Early life and education

A native of Mercedes, Texas, Martinez graduated from the University of Washington with his bachelor's degree in 1975 and from the University of Washington School of Law with his J.D. in 1980.^[2]

Professional career

2004-present: Judge, United States District Court for the Western District of Washington

2016-2022: Chief judge
2022-present: Senior judge

1998-2004: Federal magistrate judge, Western District of Washington
1990-1998: Judge, King County Superior Court
1980-1990: Assistant prosecutor, King County, Washington^[2]

Judicial career

Western District of Washington

Nomination Tracker

Nominee Information
Name: Ricardo S. Martinez
Court: United States District Court for the Western District of Washington
Progress
Confirmed 245 days after nomination.
Nominated: October 14, 2003
ABA Rating: Unanimously Well Qualified
Questionnaire:
Hearing: January 22, 2004
Hearing Transcript: Hearing Transcript
QFRs: (Hover over QFRs to read more)

Reported: March 4, 2004
Confirmed: June 15, 2004
Vote: 98-0

Martinez was nominated to the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington by President George W. Bush on October 14, 2003, to a new seat created by 104 Stat. 5089. The American Bar Association rated Martinez Unanimously Well Qualified for the nomination. Hearings on Martinez's nomination were held before the Senate Judiciary Committee on January 22, 2004, and his nomination was reported by U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) on March 4, 2004. Martinez was confirmed on a recorded 98-0 vote of the U.S. Senate on June 15, 2004, and he received his commission the next day. Martinez has served as chief judge of the district court since 2016.^[2]^[3]^[4]

Noteworthy cases

Glacier Northwest case (2009)

See also: United States District Court for the Western District of Washington (Preserve Our Islands v. Shorelines Hearings Board, Nos. 55655-0-I, 55656-8-I)

On August 13, 2009, Judge Martinez ruled against Glacier Northwest to halt construction on a new pier project in Washington state. The judge ruled that federal agencies did not enforce environmental laws when giving Glacier Northwest the permit to build the pier. The project was halted until federal agencies investigated the environmental impact towards Chinook Salmon and southern resident Orca whales, which were on the federal endangered species list.^[5]

External links

Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by -	United States District Court for the Western District of Washington 2004-2022	Succeeded by Kymberly Evanson

v • e

Federal judges who have served the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington

Active judges

Chief Judge: David G. Estudillo • John Chun • Tana Lin • Lauren King • Tiffany Cartwright • Kymberly Evanson • Jamal Whitehead

Senior judges

Robert Lasnik • Robert Bryan • John Coughenour • Carolyn Dimmick • Richard Jones (Washington) • Thomas Zilly • Ben Settle • Barbara Rothstein • James Robart • Ricardo Martinez (Washington) • Marsha Pechman •

Magistrate judges

Brian Tsuchida • David Christel • Richard Creatura • Paula McCandlis • Theresa Fricke • Michelle Peterson • S. Kate Vaughan •

Former Article III judges

Ronald Leighton • Cornelius Holgate Hanford • Edward Cushman • George Donworth • Clinton Woodbury Howard • Jeremiah Neterer • Franklin Burgess • Walter McGovern • John Clyde Bowen • Lloyd Black • William Goodwin • William Lindberg • Jack Tanner • William Beeks • George Boldt • William Dwyer (Washington) • Charles Leavy • Morell Sharp • Donald Voorhees • Monica Benton •

Former Chief judges

Robert Lasnik • John Coughenour • Carolyn Dimmick • Ricardo Martinez (Washington) • Walter McGovern • John Clyde Bowen • William Goodwin • William Lindberg • William Beeks • George Boldt •

v • e

Federal judges nominated by George W. Bush

2001

Armijo • Bates • Beistline • Blackburn • Bowdre • Bunning • Bury • Caldwell • Camp • Cassell • Cebull • Clement • Clifton • Crane • Eagan • Engelhardt • Friot • Gibbons • Granade • Gregory • Gritzner • Haddon • Hartz • Heaton • Hicks • Howard • Johnson • Jorgenson • Krieger • Land • Leon • Mahan • Martinez • Martone • McConnell • Melloy • Mills • O'Brien • Parker • Payne • Prost • Reeves • Riley • Robinson • Rogers • Royal • Shedd • B. Smith • L. Smith • Walton • Wooten • Zainey

2002

Africk • Anderson • Autrey • Baylson • Cercone • Chesler • Clark • Collyer • Conner • Conti • Corrigan • Davis • Davis • Dorr • England • Ericksen • Fuller • Gardner • Godbey • Griesbach • Hanen • Hovland • Hudson • Jones • Jordan • Kinkeade • Klausner • Kugler • Leighton • Linares • Moses • Marra • Martinez • Martini • Mays • McVerry • Phillips • Raggi • Reade • Rose • Rufe • Savage • Schwab • Smith • St. Eve • Walter • White • Wolfson

2003

Adams • Altonaga • Bea • Benitez • Bennett • Boyle • Brack • Breen • Browning • Burns • Bybee • Callahan • Campbell • Cardone • Carney • Castel • Chertoff • Cohn • Colloton • Conrad • Coogler • Cook • Cooke • Crone • Der-Yeghiayan • Drell • Duffey • Duncan • Erickson • Feuerstein • Figa • Filip • Fischer • Fisher • Flanagan • Floyd • Frost • Gibson • Greer • Gruender • Guirola • Hall • Hardiman • Hayes • Herrera • Hicks • Holmes • Holwell • Hopkins • Houston • Irizarry • Jones • Junell • Karas • Kravitz • Martinez • McKnight • Minaldi • Montalvo • Mosman • Otero • Pickering • Prado • Pratter • Proctor • Quarles • Robart • Roberts • Robinson • Rodgers • Rodriguez • Sabraw • Sanchez • Saylor • Selna • Sharpe • Simon • Springmann • Stanceu • Steele • Stengel • Suko • Sutton • Sykes • Titus • Townes • Tymkovich • Van Antwerpen • Varlan • Wake • Wesley • White • Woodcock •

Yeakel

2004

Alvarez • Benton • Boyko • Covington • Diamond • Harwell • Kelley • Schiavelli • Schneider • Starrett • Watson

2005

Alito • Barrett • Batten • Bianco • Brown • Burgess • Conrad • Cox • Crotty • Delgado-Colon • Dever • DuBose • Griffin • Griffith • Johnston • Kendall • Larson • Ludington • Mattice • McKeague • Neilson • Owen • Pryor • Roberts • Sandoval • Schiltz • Seabright • Smoak • Van Tatenhove • Vitaliano • Watkins • Zouhary

2006

Besosa • Bumb • Chagares • Cogan • Gelpi • Golden • Gordon • Gorsuch • Guilford • Hillman • Holmes • Ikuta • D. Jordan • K. Jordan • Kavanaugh • Miller • Moore • Shepherd • Sheridan • Smith • Whitney • Wigenton

2007

Anderson • Aycock • Bailey • Bryant • Davis • DeGiusti • Dow • Elrod • Fairbank • Fischer • Frizzell • Gutierrez • Hall • Hardiman • Haynes • Howard • Jarvey • Jones • Jonker • Kapala • Kays • Laplante • Limbaugh • Lioi • Livingston • Maloney • Mauskopf • Mendez • Miller • Neff • O'Connor • O'Grady • O'Neill • Osteen • Ozerden • Reidinger • Sammartino • Schroeder • Settle • Smith • Snow • Southwick • Suddaby • Sullivan • Thapar • Tinder • Van Bokkelen • Wood • Wright • Wu

2008

Agee • Anello • Arguello • Brimmer • Gardephe • Goldberg • Jones • Kethledge • Lawrence • Matsumoto • Melgren • Murphy • Scriven • Seibel • Slomsky • Trenga • Waddoups • White