Judge Mark Larrañaga - Superior Court

• Courtroom Number: E-746

• Bailiff: Bren Smith

• Department: 33

• Assignment: Civil

Biography- Judge Mark A. Larrañaga

After thirty years of trial and appellate experience, Judge Mark A. Larrañaga was appointed to the King County Superior Court bench on May 7, 2023, by Governor Jay Inslee.  Judge Larrañaga is currently assigned to both the unlawful detainer calendar and civil trial rotation at the King County Courthouse in Seattle, Washington.

From 1993-2001, Judge Larrañaga worked as a public defender at The Defenders Association in King County.  He tried cases ranging from misdemeanors to capital aggravated murder.

From 2001- 2005, Judge Larrañaga was the director of Washington state’s first death penalty resource center, which provided training, education, and assistance to attorneys assigned to capital cases. He authored reports and testified before the Washington State legislature on different aspects of Washington’s death penalty system.

From 2005-2023, Judge Larrañaga worked primarily on capital cases in state and federal courts. He also handled capital and non-capital appeals before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Washington and Oregon State Supreme Courts, and all three divisions of the Washington’s Court of Appeals.  He was deemed “learned counsel” in state and federal courts for appointment on capital trials and appeals in Alaska, California, Colorado, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. 

From 2005 – 2018, he taught a course on capital jurisprudence at Seattle University School of Law, and co-authored An Analysis of the Economic Costs of Seeking the Death Penalty in Washington State, Seattle Journal for Social Justice, Vol. 14, Issue 3, Spring 2016.

Since his appointment to the bench, Judge Larrañaga has presided over criminal and civil cases, and has been either chaired, co-chaired, or a committee member to King County Superior Court’s (KCSC) Executive Committee, KCSC Jury Committee, KCSC Education Committee, Administrative Office of the Court’s (AOC) Childcare Support Workgroup, Washington State Bar Association’s (WSBA) Council on Public Defense, WSBA Access to Justice Gap Work Group, and Superior Court Judges Association’s (SCJA) Criminal Rules and Law Committee.

Biography- Bailiff Bren Smith

Bren began her professional career in the justice system in 2011 after graduating with Honors from Kaplan University with a Bachelor of Science in Judicial Administration with an emphasis on Organizational Innovation. She served with the King County Department of Judicial Administration from 2011 to 2020 as a Courtroom Clerk and Legal Administrative Specialist, providing comprehensive courtroom support across criminal and civil proceedings, Family Law, Drug Court, At-Risk Youth, and Involuntary Treatment Act (ITA) calendars. In addition to her courtroom responsibilities, Bren demonstrated a strong commitment to equity and inclusion, serving as a member, Secretary, and ultimately Chair of the Department’s Equity, Social Justice & Diversity Committee.

In 2020, Bren was appointed Bailiff to the Honorable Judith Ramseyer (Ret.), serving in that role until Judge Ramseyer’s retirement in 2023, after which she joined Judge Larrañaga upon his appointment to the bench. During the summer of 2020, Bren co-developed an innovative electronic juror questionnaire system that enabled King County Superior Court to safely continue jury trials during the COVID-19 pandemic. She has also served as a member and Co-Chair of the Bailiff Education Training Committee, a member of the Jury Committee, and currently serves on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee.