In the Media: Renee Walls on Justice, Leadership & Community
Renee Walls believes justice starts with listening, showing up, and understanding the communities we serve. This is where you can find conversations, interviews, and stories that bring people together to talk about the issues that matter to our neighborhoods, our families, and our future.
-
![]()
Proud parent of Vashon High School graduate
-
![]()
Spending the day with Federal Way Rotary discussing the importance of voting for judges
-
![]()
Enjoying Des Moines Oktoberfest along with King County Superior Court Judge Veronica Galván
-
![]()
Appreciating all the help - even from our littlest supporters
Community Conversations: Renee Walls in Conversation with Tanya Woo on Rainier Avenue Radio
In this conversation on Rainier Avenue Radio, Renee Walls sits down with former Seattle City Councilmember Tanya Woo to share the experiences and values that have shaped her legal career. From the importance of listening to people’s lived experiences to making our courts more accessible and treating everyone with fairness and dignity, Renee discusses the challenges facing Southwest King County and the responsibility judges have to the communities they serve. Watch the conversation to get to know Renee, hear her story, and explore the issues that matter to our community.
Featured in NW Asian Weekly: Renee on Bringing Lived Experience to the Bench, and Building Trust in Our Courts
In a compelling interview with Northwest Asian Weekly, Renee Walls reflects on how her personal journey, multicultural upbringing, and decades in the legal system shaped her commitment to justice. From navigating questions of identity and belonging to serving as a judge pro tempore for 17 years, Renee shares why lived experience, active listening, and understanding the people who come before the court matter.
Read how she hopes to bring her professional experience and broader perspective to the King County District Court bench and better serve the diverse communities of Southwest King County.
In this interview with Dr. Laura Marie Rivera and Motherhood Means Business, Renee Walls shares her perspective on the intersection of motherhood and judicial leadership, drawing on her 26 years of legal experience, including 17 years serving as a judge pro tempore. Her story highlights the leadership skills motherhood cultivates and challenges us to recognize the expertise mothers bring to leadership roles.
Renee Walls on Motherhood, Leadership, and Judicial Experience
-
Renee Walls knows something about having to prove herself.
A Mother, immigrant, and woman of color, Renee is running for King County District Court judge. She brings 26 years of legal experience, including 17 years serving as a judge pro tempore.
That's right. She's already spent 17 years doing the very job she's now seeking to hold as an elected judge.
And yet, despite those qualifications, Renee still finds herself having to make the case for her place on the bench.
During our conversation, she described the difference between being granted a “presumption of competence” and having to continually prove your qualifications—a distinction that resonated deeply with my own research on the leadership skills Mothers develop but rarely receive recognition for.
What also struck me was how thoughtfully Renee connects her roles as Mother and judge. Both, she explained, require active listening, understanding people's circumstances, and helping them find a path forward. In criminal court, she considers how her decisions might “help stop cycles” of conflict and create opportunities for people to make different choices.
“There’s a lot of crossover,” she told me.
Renee's experience challenges us to ask what we actually mean when we talk about someone being qualified to lead. With nearly two decades serving on the bench, she has a substantial record of judicial experience to bring to the elected position.
The question isn't whether Motherhood makes her qualified to be a judge. It's why someone with her extensive qualifications should still have to work so hard to have them recognized.
