Judge Jaime Hawk Is Running for Supreme Court. Where Does She Stand on HB 1620?

Legislative Updates · By Gale McArthur · 2026-07-10 · 5 min read

Judge Jaime Hawk is running for the Washington Supreme Court. Here are the facts about her candidacy and the HB 1620 family-court protections voters should ask her to explain.

King County Superior Court Judge Jaime Hawk is running for Washington Supreme Court Position 3. She faces David Stevens and Mike Diaz in the August 4, 2026 primary.

Before taking off for the Supreme Court, read the flight plan.

Hawk initially joined the Superior Court through an appointment in 2022. She later appeared as the sole filed candidate for King County Superior Court Position 10 in the 2024 election. That means the accurate criticism is not that she was "never elected," but that she reached the bench by appointment and later ran without a filed opponent.

The more important question is this:

How does Judge Hawk interpret and apply HB 1620?

HB 1620 by the numbers

Washington lawmakers passed HB 1620 in 2025:

House vote: 60–37
Senate vote: 32–17
Signed by the governor: April 25, 2025
Effective date: July 27, 2025
Length of the enacted law: 34 pages

The law revised Washington's rules for parenting plans involving domestic violence, abuse, sexual offenses and other risks to children.

Major provisions of HB 1620

When supervised visitation is ordered, the law creates a presumption favoring a professional supervisor unless specific access or financial conditions justify using a qualified layperson.
The supervisor and supervised parent must acknowledge the court's written rules before visits begin.
A parent may request emergency suspension of visitation for serious violations, with a review hearing generally required within 14 days.
After a domestic-violence finding, there is a rebuttable presumption favoring sole decision-making.
Courts generally may not force survivors into mediation or interventions requiring the parties to share the same physical or virtual space.
Courts must make detailed written findings in several situations involving competing risks or decisions not to impose restrictions.

The questions voters should ask

Judge Hawk and every Supreme Court candidate should answer:

1. What did HB 1620 materially change? 2. When should professional supervised visitation be required? 3. What findings must a judge make before declining safety limitations? 4. How should appellate courts respond when trial courts fail to make the required written findings? 5. How should courts protect children while preserving due process for both parents?

These questions are not personal attacks. They concern a law already governing Washington families.

A campaign for the state's highest court should involve more than endorsements and broad promises about justice. Candidates should demonstrate that they understand the statutes they may later be asked to interpret.