King County Trial Court Coordinating Council

The Trial Court Coordinating Council (TCCC) is a partnership between Superior Court, District Court, and the county’s Municipal Courts.  TCCC participants, with the assistance of the Washington Administrative Office for the Courts, look for ways to coordinate operations and streamline access to justice for King County residents.  Since its formation in 2002, the TCCC has accomplished the following:

• Therapeutic Court Coordination.  Superior Court, District Court, and Seattle Municipal Court now have a system for sharing information between their respective drug and mental health courts.  This makes it easier to coordinate cases involving the same defendant.
  
  
• Centralized Jury Summoning.  Superior Court now handles jury summoning for itself, much of District Court, and for Kent, Kirkland, and Tukwila Municipal Courts.  The economies of scale enjoyed by Superior Court lower the cost of jury summoning for participating jurisdictions.
  
  
• Interpreter Services Resource Sharing.  Superior Court and District Court now share interpreter service resources in their downtown Seattle locations.  An expansion of this collaboration to south King County is anticipated.
  
  
• Customer Service Coordination.  Superior Court, District Court, and Seattle Municipal Court now have shared customer service materials for their downtown Seattle locations.  These three courts are located close to one another, and customers often are confused about which court services are offered where.  The shared materials explain the differences between these courts, helping court customers find the services they need.
  
  
• Multi-Jurisdiction Warrant Processing.  TCCC participants now can process many aspects of each other’s warrants.  Defendants often have matters pending in multiple courts and may appear in one court while having a warrant pending in another.  Allowing the presenting court to process the other court’s warrant saves transport costs and increases defendant accountability.
  
  
• Juvenile Justice Coordination.  TCCC participants are working to coordinate provision of juvenile justice services.  While Superior Court handles most juvenile matters, District Court and the Municipal Courts are responsible for juvenile traffic violations, including Driving with License Suspended, Driving without a License, and Driving Under the Influence.  TCCC participants now can process each other’s juvenile warrants, and juvenile detention intake and release policies have been aligned.  This work is ongoing.
  
  
• Jury Service Promotion.  A campaign designed to educate citizens about jury service requirements and encourage them to respond timely to their jury summonses is using bus banner advertising and a website to reach King County residents.

For more information on Washington’s Trial Court Coordinating Council program, visit the Washington Administrative Office for the Courts’ TCCC Webpage.