Ricardo S. Martinez

Ricardo S. Martinez
Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington
Incumbent
Assumed office September 5, 2022
Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington
In office February 6, 2016 – September 3, 2022
Preceded by	Marsha J. Pechman
Succeeded by	David Estudillo
Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington
In office June 16, 2004 – September 5, 2022
Appointed by	George W. Bush
Preceded by	Seat established by 104 Stat. 5089
Succeeded by	Kymberly Evanson
Magistrate Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington
In office 1998–2004
Judge of the King County Superior Court
In office 1990–1998
Personal details
Born	Ricardo Salazar Martinez (1951-06-23) June 23, 1951 Mercedes, Texas, U.S.
Alma mater	University of Washington (BS, JD)

Ricardo Salazar Martinez (born June 23, 1951) is an American attorney serving as the Senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington.

Early life and education

Martinez was born in Mercedes, Texas, and raised in Whatcom County, Washington, where he graduated from Lynden High School. He received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Washington in 1975 and a Juris Doctor from the University of Washington School of Law in 1980. He was an Assistant Prosecutor with the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office in King County, Washington, from 1980 to 1990.

Career

Martinez was a judge on the King County Superior Court from 1990 to 1998.

Federal judicial service

From 1998 to 2004, he served as a United States magistrate judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington.

On October 14, 2003, Martinez was nominated by President George W. Bush to a new seat on the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington established by 104 Stat. 5089 following the appointment of Barbara Jacobs Rothstein as Director of the Federal Judicial Center. Martinez was confirmed by the United States Senate on June 15, 2004, receiving his commission on June 16, 2004. He is the first Latino judge in the Western District of Washington. He served as the Chief Judge from February 6, 2016 to September 3, 2022. He assumed senior status on September 5, 2022.

Notable cases

Backpage, a classified advertising website specializing in online escort services, filed a lawsuit against the state of Washington to prevent a law that would require companies to verify the ages of people in sex-related advertisements. The online escort service claimed, "Backpage and Internet Archive argue the new law violates the Communications Decency Act of 1996, as well as the First, Fifth, and Fourteenth Amendments and the commerce clause of the U.S. Constitution." On 28 July 2012, Judge Martinez granted an injunction preventing the law from taking effect. In his ruling, Martinez found merit in some of Backpage.com's arguments that the state law would conflict with existing federal law.

See also

• List of Hispanic and Latino American jurists
• List of first minority male lawyers and judges in Washington

External links

• Ricardo S. Martinez at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
• Washington State Bar Association Diversity and Leadership Interview http://www.wsba.org/martinez.htm
• Oral history interview, 2005 Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History Project