JUDGE SEAN P. O'DONNELL

Judge O'Donnell was rated "Exceptionally Well Qualified" for the Supreme Court by the King County Bar Association and the Veterans Bar Association,

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Elected to the King County Superior Court bench in 2013, Judge Sean P. O’Donnell has served on the court’s family law, civil, and criminal dockets. He has been appointed to numerous leadership positions, including the Chief Judge of both the Family Law and Criminal Division.

 

Judge O'Donnell currently serves as the Lead Judge, King County Involuntary Treatment Act Court at Harborview Hospital. He is also serving as King County's Special Inquiry Judge. 

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Judge O'Donnell has served as Washington State Supreme Court Justice Pro Tem for select cases.

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Judge O’Donnell is a past president of the Superior Court Judges’ Association, which represents more than 200 judicial officers across the state.  As the legislative co-chair for the Superior Court Judges’ Association, Judge O’Donnell has represented superior court judges before the Washington State Legislature for nearly a decade. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, he presided over multiple fully remote jury trials and played a key role in developing and implementing virtual jury selection and trial procedures.  After the pandemic, Judge O’Donnell helped draft rules that the Washington Supreme Court adopted that authorizing remote trials and video jury selection in trial courts statewide.

 

Judge O'Donnell has co-chaired three statewide task forces.  They separately addressed improving courthouse security, reforming pre-trial release practices, and increasing state funding for court interpreters.

Judge O’Donnell has a strong interest in the intersection of artificial intelligence and the legal profession. He serves on the Washington State Bar Association’s A.I. Task Force, the Washington Supreme Court’s A.I. Task Force, and the Washington State Bar Association Legal Technology Task Force.

 

Concerned about courthouse safety and administration, Judge O'Donnell  is Chair of the  Board of Judicial Administration Courthouse Security Committee and was recently Co-Chair of the  King County Superior Court Budget Committee.

A graduate of Georgetown University and Seattle University School of Law, Judge O’Donnell previously worked as a senior deputy prosecutor for 12 years. In that role, he handled the state’s first human trafficking prosecution and the first case involving commercial sexual abuse of a minor. He was also a member of the Green River Task Force, which oversaw the investigation and prosecution of serial killer Gary L. Ridgway. Judge O’Donnell has trained lawyers and law enforcement officers nationally and internationally on prosecuting human trafficking cases. 

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As a prosecutor, Sean was named a  Special Assistant United States Attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice in the Terrorism and Violent Crimes Division, where he prosecuted commercial sex and human trafficking cases with state/federal crossover (Western District of Washington). 

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Judge O'Donnell has served as an Adjunct Faculty at Seattle University Law School. 

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Judge O'Donnell's professional honors include being a co-recipient of the 2004 “Outstanding Lawyer of the Year” award from the King County Bar Association and the 2018 “Judge of the Year” award from the Washington Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates. 

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Outside the courtroom, Judge O’Donnell is actively involved in the community. He serves as board chair for Lakeside School in Seattle, is a member of the Rainier Scholars Resource Council, and previously chaired the School Commission at St. Joseph School.

Judge O'Donnell grew up in Bellevue and lives in Seattle with his wife and their two teenage children. His wife owns a therapy practice providing occupational and speech therapy for children.