Retain Judge

E. Rania Rampersad

Due to her outstanding qualifications, balanced perspective, and unparalleled breadth of experience, we support the retention of Judge E. Rania Rampersad!

Judge Rania values justice and fairness. Every day, she hears cases in our community involving domestic violence, individuals' rights, children's best interests, homelessness, mental health, and addiction. She understands, the right balance of insight, compassion, and accountability can help ensure fair outcomes, get people's lives back on track, and keep our community safer for everyone. Judge Rania brings her experience of over a decade in public service, at every level of court in Washington State. She has the official endorsement of dozens of judges, including a majority of Justices of the Washington State Supreme Court.

Our community needs judges like Judge Rania to ensure the bench shares our values, respects all citizens' rights, and faithfully executes the law. Join us to support Judge Rania!

Sign up to endorse Judge Rania, volunteer on the campaign, or register to host a 'meet the candidate' event.

And don't forget to VOTE on November 5, 2024 in King County!

Experience

Judge E. Rania Rampersad was appointed in 2023 by Governor Inslee to serve in her current capacity as a King County Superior Court Judge. She currently presides over family law cases, civil protection orders, sexually violent predator cases, and post-conviction criminal matters in the CCFJC Courthouse in Seattle. Judge Rampersad previously served as a judge in King County District Court after her unanimous appointment in 2021 by the King County Council and subsequent election by the people of King County’s Eastside. In District Court she presided over criminal trials, protection orders, and other civil matters. In the two years prior to her appointment, she served as a judge pro tempore in eight municipal courts across the Puget Sound region.

After graduating from Georgetown University Law Center, she began her legal career as a law clerk to then-Chief Justice Barbara Madsen of the Washington Supreme Court. She has practiced at every level of Court in Washington, from municipal to Supreme, as well as in Tulalip Tribal Court.

In addition to her work as a judicial officer, Judge Rampersad has served as a public defender in trial and appellate courts, and as a prosecutor in both criminal and civil licensure cases. She has represented institutional clients in class action and complex civil litigation, and represented indigent clients as a civil legal aid attorney.

Judge Rampersad has also worked for the United Nations and other non-profit organizations abroad in Asia and Africa promoting human rights, the rule of law, and criminal justice reform.

Endorsements

Judges and Commissioners

• The Honorable Barbara A. Madsen, Washington State Supreme Court, Justice
• The Honorable Mary Yu, Washington State Supreme Court, Justice
• The Honorable Raquel Montoya-Lewis, Washington State Supreme Court, Justice
• The Honorable Helen Whitener, Washington State Supreme Court, Justice
• The Honorable Debra Stephens, Washington State Supreme Court, Justice

• The Honorable Lori K. Smith, Washington Court of Appeals, Division One, Chief Judge
• The Honorable Rebecca Glasgow, Washington Court of Appeals, Division Two, Chief Judge
• The Honorable Ian S. Birk, Washington Court of Appeals, Division One, Judge
• The Honorable Janet S. Chung, Washington Court of Appeals, Division One, Judge
• The Honorable Linda W.Y. Coburn, Washington Court of Appeals, Division One, Judge

• The Honorable Ketu Shah, King County Superior Court, Presiding Judge
• The Honorable Johanna Bender, King County Superior Court, Chief Judge-MRJC
• The Honorable David Keenan, King County Superior Court, Assistant Chief Judge-MRJC
• The Honorable Nicole Gains Phelps, King County Superior Court, Judge
• The Honorable Hillary Madsen, King County Superior Court, Judge
• The Honorable Jason Poydras, King County Superior Court, Judge
• The Honorable Jaime Hawk, King County Superior Court, Judge
• The Honorable William L. Dixon V, King County Superior Court, Judge
• The Honorable Paul M. Crisalli, King County Superior Court, Judge
• The Honorable Monica Cary, King County Superior Court, Judge

• The Honorable Tsering Cornell, Clark County Superior Court, Judge
• The Honorable Indu Thomas, Thurston County Superior Court, Judge
• Commissioner Roger Sandberg, Whitman County Superior Court
• Commissioner Amber Austin, Pierce County Superior Court
• Commissioner Pedro Cho, Pierce County Superior Court
• The Honorable Kristin Ferrera, Chelan County Superior Court, Judge

• The Honorable Benes Aldana, (Retired Judge) in his personal capacity

• The Honorable Rebecca C. Robertson, King County District Court, Presiding Judge
• The Honorable Jill Klinge, King County District Court, Judge
• The Honorable Kuljinder Dhillon, King County District Court, Judge
• The Honorable Kristen Shotwell, King County District Court, Judge
• The Honorable Michelle Gehlsen, King County District Court, Judge
• The Honorable Brian Todd, King County District Court, Judge
• The Honorable Karama H. Hawkins, King County District Court, Judge
• The Honorable Fa’amomoi Masaniai, King County District Court, Judge
• The Honorable Leah Taguba, King County District Court, Judge
• The Honorable Michael Finkle, King County District Court, Judge
• The Honorable Marcus Naylor, King County District Court, Judge
• The Honorable Raul Martinez, King County District Court, Judge
• The Honorable Lisa Paglisotti, King County District Court, Judge
• The Honorable Kevin Peck, King County District Court, Judge
• The Honorable Marcine Anderson, King County District Court, (Ret.) Judge

• The Honorable Kimberly Walden, Tukwila Municipal Court, Judge
• The Honorable Anthony Gipe, Kent Municipal Court, Judge
• The Honorable Pooja Vaddadi, Seattle Municipal Court, Judge
• The Honorable Kara Murphy, Renton Municipal Court, Judge
• Commissioner Noah Weil, Seattle Municipal Court
• The Honorable Faye Chess, Seattle Municipal Court, Judge
• The Honorable Lisa Mansfield, Lakewood Municipal Court, Judge

Elected Officials

• Senator Manka Dhingra, 45th Legislative District, Washington State Senate, Deputy Majority Caucus Leader

Philosophy

Judge Rampersad supports the work of therapeutic and community courts, having presided over Community Court in the City of Redmond, and served as the assigned public defender for Yakima County's DUI Court. She is experienced with criminal justice reform, bail reform, the development and advocacy of alternatives to incarceration for non-violent offenders.

Judge Rampersad supports human rights and the rule of law for everyone, including underserved communities. In furtherance of this aim, she has lived and worked in multiple countries throughout her legal career.

• Dadaab Refugee Camp, Kenya - evaluated asylum claims for survivors of torture and war crimes, and screened US resettlement applicants for potential security threats.
• Beijing, China - trained defense attorneys serving minority communities including Tibetan, Yi, Mongolian, and internally displaced people.
• Dar es Salaam, Tanzania - represented urban refugees fleeing violence in neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo.
• New York, New York - provided legal support to immigrant survivors of domestic violence.

Community

Local Roots

Judge Rampersad was born in the Seattle area and is a long-time resident of the Eastside. She attended Bellevue public schools and is a proud graduate of Newport High School. She earned a major in Business (Finance), and a minor in Chinese Language & Literature, from the University of Washington. She lives in Bellevue with her husband and three young children.

Volunteering

In addition to her judicial work, Judge Rampersad is deeply invested in continuing her volunteer work. In 2019, she founded the Joint Minority Mentorship Program (JMMP) a volunteer organization dedicated to mentoring young law students from historically under-represented backgrounds. The organization has grown to a partnership of over 15 bar associations, including those representing women and mother attorneys, LGBTQ+ lawyers, lawyers with disabilities, Native and Tribal members, the Washington State, King County, and Federal bar associations, and nearly every other state-wide lawyers association representing ethnic, racial, and religious minority attorneys. In its more than five years of operations, JMMP’s volunteer lawyers and judges have mentored hundreds of new lawyers as they enter the legal profession. These efforts have notably increased allyship and community in the Washington legal profession.

Judge Rampersad also regularly engages with the community through her volunteer work with a variety of organizations, including Seattle Children’s Hospital, Jewish Family Services, North Seattle Family Resource Center, and others. Judge Rampersad also regularly volunteers with local schools, mentoring college students, coaching mock trial participants, discussing pathways to a legal career, and educating young students about the legal system and what it means to be a judge.

Organizations

• 2007 Worked for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) - Dadaab Kenya Refugee Camp
• 2012 Attorney with Asylum Access - Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
• 2013 Attorney with International Bridges to Justice - Beijing, China
• 2014 Attorney with the Washington State Attorney General's Office - Olympia, WA
• 2016 Founded Eleemosynary Legal Services (appellate public defense law firm) - Seattle, WA
• 2023 Chair of the King County District Court Diversity Equity and Inclusion Committee

Judicial Ratings

• Loren Miller Bar Association Judicial Evaluation Committee – Exceptionally Well Qualified (valid through 2026)
• QLaw Judicial Evaluation Committee – Exceptionally Well Qualified (valid through 2026)
• Latina/o Bar Association Judicial Evaluation Committee – Exceptionally Well Qualified (valid through 2026)
• Joint Asian Judicial Evaluation Committee – Well Qualified (valid through 2025)
• King County Bar Association Judicial Evaluation Committee – Well Qualified (valid through 2026)

Awards, Honors, & Associations

• William L. Dwyer American Inn of Court - President-Elect (2023-2024 term)
• Vietnamese Bar Association of Washington (VABAW)- Community Service Award (2021)
• Joint Minority Mentorship Association (JMMP) – Founder & Board Member (2019-present)
• South Asian Bar Association of Washington (SABAW) - President (2020), Advisory Board Member (2021-present)
• National Judicial College - Judicial Academy Fellow & Full Scholarship Recipient (2019)
• Seattle University, Judicial Institute Clinic - Judicial Fellow (2019), Faculty (2022, 2024)
• Washington Leadership Institute (WLI) - Fellow (2015), Faculty (2021-2024)
• American Society of International Law (ASIL) - Arthur C. Helton Fellowship for Refugee Field Work (2007)