Honorable Faye Chess

Elected Term of Office: Jan. 2023 - Jan. 2027

Judge Faye R. Chess is the current Presiding Judge and was appointed to the Seattle Municipal Court bench in April 2018 after serving as Magistrate. She was first elected to the position in November 2018.

Judge Chess served as a Judge Pro Tempore in King County District Court for over 22 years. She was previously the Director of Labor Relations for Group Health Cooperative and Sr. HR Consultant for Providence Health and Services and Swedish Medical Center. For many years, she worked in the public education sector, first as Deputy General Counsel and Interim Executive Director of Human Resources for Seattle Public Schools specializing in employment and labor, special education, and student disability plans and later as the Executive Director of Human Resources and General Counsel for Tukwila School District. After receiving her B.A. from Purdue University and her law degree from University of Cincinnati College of Law, she worked as a staff attorney for The Public Defender Association in Seattle, Washington. She also served as Deputy General Counsel and Interim General Counsel for Seattle Housing Authority. She is a member of the Washington State Bar Association, Federal Bar of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, and Loren Miller Bar Association.