Washington Courts: News and Information

Washington Court of Appeals Division II Judges Name New Court Commissioner

The judges of the Washington State Court of Appeals, Division II, have appointed Karl Triebel to the position of court commissioner, effective December 1, 2022. Commissioner Triebel will replace long-time Commissioner Eric B. Schmidt, who is retiring.

Prior to joining the Court of Appeals, Commissioner Triebel served as a lead staff attorney at the Washington Supreme Court where he drafted rulings for the Supreme Court Commissioner’s Office and worked on special projects such as developing law clerk training modules, assisting justices with complex cases, and developing an annual appellate court training program on personal restraint petitions.

“We are excited to announce the appointment of Karl Triebel to Court of Appeals Commissioner. Commissioner Triebel brings extensive knowledge and experience both as an appellate advocate in the Illinois Attorney General’s Office and as a staff attorney at our state’s highest court. Karl has a strong commitment to justice and we are confident he will excel in the critical role of commissioner,” said Court of Appeals Div. II Chief Judge Rebecca Glasgow. “We are very happy to welcome him to the court.”

Appellate court commissioners are judicial officers who perform numerous judicial duties such as resolving parental dependency and termination appeals, deciding procedural matters, and more. Commissioners enable the court to hear more cases and reduce delays. They are judicial officers subject to the Code of Judicial Conduct.

“I am grateful to my family, friends, and colleagues at the Washington Supreme Court for years of support and guidance, and I am honored to follow Commissioner Schmidt’s lead,” said Commissioner Triebel. “In addition to his normal important duties, Commissioner Schmidt provided invaluable training on changes to sentencing laws and his insights will be sorely missed.”

Retiring Commissioner Schmidt joined the Court of Appeals Div. II in January 2002, after serving as a senior health law judge for the state Department of Health, as a judicial law clerk for three Division II judges, and directing the Appellate Backlog Elimination (ABLE) Project for Division II. “We are very sad to lose Commissioner Schmidt’s wit, kindness, and the incredible depth of his knowledge and experience,” Glasgow said. “I don’t think we will fully appreciate everything he quietly and capably does for the court every day until he has retired at the end of the year.”

The Court of Appeals Division II is headquartered in Tacoma and hears appeals of cases from the superior courts in Clark, Cowlitz, Lewis, Pacific, Skamania, Wahkiakum, Clallam, Grays Harbor, Jefferson, Kitsap, Mason, Thurston and Pierce counties. The Court has the authority to overrule, remand, modify, or affirm decisions of the trial courts.

For information regarding the Court of Appeals and other levels of court, visit the Washington Courts website.

CONTACT: Court of Appeals Division II Clerk Derek Byrne at Derek.Byrne@courts.wa.gov