Clerk's Alert: Notice Regarding Judge Assignment Changes and Orders for Change of Judge

CLERK’S ALERT

Notice Regarding Judge Assignment Changes and Orders for Change of Judge

Each year in January, King County Superior Court has an annual Judicial Rotation where some judges change assignments, courthouse locations and/or courtrooms.  In support of the annual rotation process, the Clerk’s Office is making changes in the KC Script case management system to maintain the court record and reflect the current judge and oncoming judge.

Prior Practice: Annual Rotation and Orders for Change of Judge

In November and December, the Clerk’s Office sends copies of Orders for Change of Judge (ORCJ) for cases that are being reassigned to a different judge as part of the annual Judicial Rotation. Previously, the Clerk’s Office sent these orders by U.S. mail to parties and attorneys involved in the affected cases. 

What’s Changing

Starting November 2025, the Clerk’s Office will send attorneys of record the ORCJs by email (via KC Script) instead of regular mail.  The ORCJ will be sent to the email address listed in the attorney’s Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) profile. If you are an attorney, please make sure your WSBA contact information is up to date before Monday, November 10, 2025. 

Pro Se parties (those without an attorney) will continue to receive a copy of the ORCJ via U.S. mail. 

Filing a New Case and Orders for Change of Judge

Beginning Monday, November 10, 2025, parties or attorneys who file a new case or new action that has a judge assignment, may receive both a case schedule with the current judge assignment and an Order for Change of Judge (ORCJ) showing which judge the case will be reassigned to in January 2026.

• If you file a new case through the KC Script Portal, you’ll receive the ORCJ in your portal notification and E-Filing Submission Summary.

• If you file a new case in person, the clerk will hand you a copy of the ORCJ.

If the judge assigned to your case is not changing assignments in 2026, you will not receive an Order for Change of Judge (ORCJ) when you file your new case/action. 

KC Script Portal Offline the Evening of Friday, November 7, 2025

The KC Script Portal will be offline on Friday, November 7, from 6pm to 10pm.  Online services accessible through the KC Script Portal will be unavailable during this time.  This includes case searches, e-filing new cases and documents, e-service, electronic working copies, civil protection order submissions, records requests, and submitting proposed orders to the court via Ex Parte via the Clerk and Orders for Review.

To monitor the status of the KC Script Portal, please visit the Clerk’s Office E-Filing Status page: http://kcscclerkefilingstatus.com/.