Elizabeth Berns

Judge Elizabeth Berns was elected to the King County Superior Court Bench in January 2013 after 20 years in legal practice. Shortly after joining the Bench, she became the Project Chair for the King County Domestic Violence and Child Maltreatment Coordinated Response Oversight Committee and was the Judicial Lead for the Court’s TraumaCare Project. Judge Berns has presided as the Lead Dependency and Family Treatment Court Judge, and as the Adult Drug Diversion Court Judge. She has a reputation of being a fair, compassionate, and committed decision-maker. She has worked to educate fellow judicial officers about domestic violence and its impact on LGBTQ+ communities—critical to ensuring fair treatment in the judicial system. Judge Berns has served on the Board of Governors for the American Judges Association and is currently on the Board of Directors for All Rise. She is a frequent presenter for local and national judicial educational programs.