Joan DuBuque

Judge Joan DuBuque has served on the bench since 1984. Since her admission to the State Bar Association in 1977, Judge DuBuque has practiced law in numerous capacities. In November 1989, Governor Booth Gardner appointed her as a King County Superior Court Judge. She has served as the Chief Criminal Judge and has been a member of the court’s Executive Committee for many years.

Judge DuBuque was named the Champion of Justice in 2005 by the Washington State Bar Foundation and Judge of the Year in 2003 by Washington Women Lawyers for her work in Unified Family Court. In 2009, she received the “20 Year Judicial Service Award” from the Washington State Association for Justice. In addition to her professional legal positions, she has served as a faculty member for the Washington State Judicial College, and as editor for the Washington State Bar Association Family Law Deskbook.

Judge DuBuque has been the Chair of the King County Domestic Violence and Child Maltreatment Coordinated Response Project and is an active member of the Supporting Early Connections Project which provides mental health and support services to infants and toddlers involved in dependency proceedings. She regularly trains locally and nationally on issues of family law, domestic violence and child maltreatment for judicial officers, attorneys, advocates and social workers.

Judge DuBuque attended Highline College from 1969-72, and in 1972 she was included in Who’s Who Among Students in American Junior Colleges. She graduated from the University of Washington in 1974 with a degree in political science and received her law degree from the University of Puget Sound in 1977.