Pooja Vaddadi

Seattle Municipal Court Judge Pooja Vaddadi was removed from all criminal cases in February 2024 after City Attorney Ann Davison directed every assistant city attorney to file affidavits of prejudice against her — a sweeping, unprecedented action that effectively declared her unfit to preside over criminal matters.

More than 150 affidavits were filed. The City Attorney's office documented a systematic pattern of conduct that crossed from questionable rulings into outright advocacy for criminal defendants from the bench: Vaddadi repeatedly dismissed probable cause findings made by her fellow judges, and — most strikingly — raised defense arguments on her own initiative, unprompted, without counsel asking. This is shockingly unethical and worthy of contempt.

She also failed to issue no-contact orders in domestic violence cases with documented histories of abuse, leaving victims exposed to the very people a court is supposed to protect them from. This is a callous disregard for the safety of the very victims she is charged to protect.

The City Attorney's office concluded that her bias was not incidental but entrenched and extremely dangerous to crime victims and the city at large. Vaddadi denied the allegations. As of February 2025, the restriction remained in place for domestic violence and DUI cases, with the city paying pro tem judges to cover her caseload.

A judge who argues on behalf of defendants, dismisses her colleagues' findings, and refuses to protect abuse victims is not exercising discretion — she is failing the most basic obligations of the office.