Washington Courts: Press Release Detail

Washington State Law Library and Supreme Court Clerk’s Office Will Have Reduced In-Person Hours During Supreme Court Move Back to Temple of Justice 

The Washington State Law Library will be open for fewer in-person hours beginning Monday, September 16 through the end of the month, and will be closed to in-person services for most of October, while preparing to move back to the Temple of Justice in Olympia in October following a two-year renovation of the 112-year-old Temple.

The Library will maintain phone and email services during most of this time. The Supreme Court Clerk’s Office will also be closed to in-person services October 14 – 25, but will maintain telephone and online services.

The Temple of Justice will reopen October 28, and Washington Supreme Court justices will return to hearing oral arguments in the Temple that week.

The Supreme Court and State Law Library moved their offices out of the Temple of Justice on the Capitol Campus in Olympia in July 2022 for renovation of the historic building. State lawmakers approved funding for the needed structural upgrades in 2021. The Court and Library have been operating in leased office space in Tumwater.

Adjusted hours for the Law Library and Clerk’s Office will include:

Law Library

• September 16 – 30: Library open to in-person patrons from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. 
• October 1 – 27: Closed to in-person patrons. Services accessible via phone and email except the following dates; 
• October 7 – 11: Fully closed to public patrons, including phones and email, for the final stage of the move to the Temple. 

Clerk’s Office 

• October 14—25: Closed to in-person patrons. Services will be accessible by phone and email. Parties will continue to be able to use online e-filing. 

The Temple of Justice will be open to the public, including Law Library and Clerk’s Office in-person services, on Monday, October 28.

The Temple of Justice is located on the Capitol Campus in Olympia and began construction in 1912, the first state capitol building to be built. Renovations replaced aged heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC) systems, as well as lighting and plumbing systems throughout the building. The project cost approximately $33.5 million.

Web site and contact information for the State Law Library and Supreme Court Clerk’s Office include:

• Washington State Law Library: (after July 8) 360-357-2136; email Library.Requests@courts.wa.gov. 
• Supreme Court Clerk’s Office: (360) 357-2077; email, Supreme@courts.wa.gov; web portal for electronic filing.