Judge Karen G. Seinfeld

DIVISION II, POSITION 2

January 1, 1992–April 30, 2004

Appointed by Governor Gardner; Retired

Karen Goodman Seinfeld, a Los Angeles native, received her B.A. degree from Stanford University in 1961 and her J.D. degree from the University of Puget Sound in 1977.

Karen served both as a criminal and civil deputy prosecutor for Pierce County until the adoption of the Pierce County Charter when she became the first Legal Counsel to the newly formed County Council. She next joined Division Two of the State Court of Appeals as its second Commissioner, then moved to the Pierce County Superior Court bench in 1987. During her Superior Court service, Judge, Seinfeld was elected to serve as the first woman president of the Puget Sound Inn of Court. Following the retirement of Judge Stanley Worswick, Governor Gardner appointed Seinfeld to that open seat. She was the first woman to serve on the Division Two appellate bench from 1993 to 2004. Seinfeld served as Chief Judge of Division Two from 1995 to 1997 and as Presiding Chief Judge of all three Appellate Divisions from 2000-2001.

Judge Seinfeld’s numerous legal and community activities included service on the Tacoma Public Library Board; the City Club of Tacoma (a founding member and past president); the Washington State Board for Judicial Administration; the Washington News Council (Chair); Tacoma Philharmonic Board (President Elect); Tacoma Goodwill Board; American Leadership Forum (Senior Fellow and Past Board Member); Tacoma Sunrise Rotary President; Advisory Board of the Washington Office of Public Defense; and 13 years on the Bates Technical College Board (Board Chair 2006-2007 and 2015-2016).

Judge Seinfeld retired in April 2004. She currently lives in Tacoma.