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Judge Samuel Chung - Superior Court

How to contact a King County Superior Court judge and get ready for your trial or motion.

judge chung

  • Courtroom Number: W-829
  • Bailiff: Jim Petersen
  • Department: 15
  • Assignment: Criminal
  • For the fastest response, please contact the bailiff by email. Judge Chung intends to decide motions within one day of the noting date. if an order has not been entered three judicial days after the noted date, please contact the bailiff. 

Biography

Judge Chung was appointed to the King County Superior Court bench in May 2014 by Governor Jay Inslee. Since then, he was re-elected in 2015, 2016, 2020 and 2024.

Judge Chung currently is assigned to the Criminal Department at the King County Courthouse in downtown Seattle. He has previously served in the Court’s civil trial rotation, dependency rotation, unified family court rotation, and also served at the Norm Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent.

Prior to his appointment on the King County Superior Court, Judge Chung worked in private practice, with focus on contract, real estate and commercial litigation.

Judge Chung was born in Seoul, Korea, and moved to the US, New Jersey, with his family when he was 12 years old. He attended Columbia University in New York City, earning his BA in history. He received his JD degree from George Washington University in Washington D.C. During his private practice, Judge Chung also focused on immigrant rights and representing low-income parties in civil litigation. In 1992, he co-founded a pro bono legal clinic for low income and elderly Korean immigrants, and in 1993, Judge Chung served as the founding president of the Korean American Bar Association of Washington. He also served in several local, state, national and international organizations prior to being appointed to the court.

He has served as the President of the Superior Court Judges Association of Washington. He previously served as a co-chair of the King County Superior Court’s Jury Committee and currently serves on the Court’s Personnel Committee.

Updated October 23, 2025

Bailiff Jim Petersen

Jim Petersen has worked with Judge Chung since March of 2020.Before serving as Judge Chung’s bailiff, Mr. Petersen worked in the family law department as a coordinator and a floating bailiff. Mr. Petersen graduated from the University of Wisconsin, but has called Washington home since 1996.

Requests

Rules to review before contacting the court:

Delivering documents to the court

  • Parties are encouraged (required, for attorneys) to use the Clerk’s Office E-Working Copies service.
  • Proposed orders should be submitted in Word format via eWorking Copies.
  • Judge Chung will accept stipulations and agreed orders via email.
  • Please do not email any working copies except Stipulated Orders directly to the Court without prior permission.
  • Any Working Papers over 200 pages must be submitted as hard copies in 3-ring binders.
  • The Court does not accept delivery of working papers by email.

Dispositive motions and hearing requests

PLEASE NOTE: As of 9/1/2025, pursuant to a rule change, motions for dismissal pursuant to CR 12 are now to be heard without oral argument. The court will no longer schedule hearings on these types of motions. Please note the timeline for consideration has not changed and should be noted pursuant to LCR 12(d).

Dispositive motions are heard on Friday mornings. Parties are encouraged to contact the court far in advance of trial to schedule a dispositive motion, as time slots are limited.

Any request for a dispositive motion hearing must be emailed to the court with all parties cc’d and include at minimum:

  • Case number and caption in the subject line
  • Nature of motion
  • Type of hearing and date(s) requested

Non-dispositive civil motions

Parties must comply with all the requirements of KCLR 7 when setting motions without oral argument.

Most non-dispositive motions do not require oral argument under the Civil or Local Rules.  You may request argument by simply noting in the upper right-hand corner of the working papers “Oral Argument Requested” in the upper right-hand corner of the working papers. If, after reviewing all briefing, the Court determines oral argument is appropriate, the bailiff will contact the parties and set a mutually acceptable time for oral argument.

All motions should be submitted with proposed orders in Word format, submitted via eWorking Copies. Self-represented parties may submit physical working copies to the judge’s mailroom in C-203 at the King County Superior Courthouse clearly marked for Judge Chung.

Copies of signed orders will be delivered to counsel or the parties electronically if email addresses have been provided to the Court.

Appearing via Zoom

  • Court attire is required (suit and tie for males).
  • Log in at least 10 minutes before the meeting time.
  • Watch Virtual Meeting Tips.
  • Ensure your Witnesses and Clients have also watched Virtual Meeting Tips.
  • Practice with each witness/client prior to joining the hearing/trial.

Hearings/Civil Trial Information

The Court hears civil non-dispositive motions and sentence modification hearings at 8:30 AM, 1:00 PM and 4:00 PM.

Judge Chung will manage all civil cases assigned until trial (including motions, motions for summary judgement and pre-trial conferences.) Your civil trial will be assigned to another judge at the time of trial. The assignment will generally take place on Thursday afternoon prior to trial. You are still required to comply with all court rules regarding pretrial submissions and deadlines. All working papers submitted will be provided to the trial judge at the time of assignment by Judge Chung’s bailiff. To determine what judge you have been assigned to for trial, please check the Civil Standby Calendar. It will be updated on Thursday afternoon prior to trial and is continuously updated (as needed) at other times.

General trial schedule is Monday through Thursday, 9 am to 4 pm.

Weddings

Judge Chung is not conducting weddings currently.