General Rule 31.1

Request Form | Request For Review Form

Skagit County Superior Court and Washington’s Judicial Branch are committed to openness, transparency, and the promise that the public should have reasonable access to administrative public records. In accordance with these ideals, the Supreme Court has established a rule regarding public access to administrative records.

Effective January 1, 2016, General Rule 31.1: Access to Administrative Records:

• Confirms the right of the public to examine administrative records of the judicial branch.
• Establishes procedures for requesting records and guidelines for those responding to requests.

• Washington Supreme Court
• Washington Court of Appeals, Divisions I, II, and III
• Superior Courts
• District and Municipal Courts
• Judicial Branch entities identified in GR 31.1

• Written document
• Audio or video recording
• Picture
• Electronic disk
• Email message

Requests
All Administrative Public Records requests must be in writing. For your convenience, we have created a Request Form.

For Skagit County Superior Court, direct your completed Request Form to:

Skagit County Superior Court           
Michelle Cook, Superior Court Manager
205 W. Kincaid Street, Room 202
Mount Vernon, WA  98273

For Skagit County Juvenile Court, direct your completed Request Form to:

Office of Juvenile Court
Bridget Candler, Operations Manager
611 S. 2nd Street
Mount Vernon, WA  98273

In most cases, you will receive a response within five business days of submitting your request. The response will acknowledge your request with one or more of the following:

• Requested records provided.
• Anticipated date of arrival.
• Expected costs required to proceed.
• Further clarification required.
• Explanation for non-disclosable records.

• Answer general requests for information.
• Answer questions involving general research or compiling of information.
• Perform legal research.
• Create a record if a record does not currently exist.

Exemptions
Certain administrative records cannot be disclosed if prohibited under GR 31.1, or other court rules, federal statutes, state statutes, court orders, or case law.
For records that aren’t entirely exempt, non-disclosable information will be redacted.
Specific records exempted or prohibited from disclosure
If all or part of a judicial administrative record is non-disclosable, you will receive written notification explaining why.

Appeals
If you disagree with the decision that the record you requested cannot be disclosed or has been redacted, you may choose to request a review of the decision. Requests for review must be submitted within 90 days of the public records officer's decision.
Request For Review Form

External Review
If you are not satisfied with the decision of the internal reviews, you may choose one of the following options for an external review:

• File a civil action in superior court to challenge the records decision.
• Request an informal review by a visiting judge or other outside decision maker.