Mount Vernon To Get New Court Location After House Overwhelmingly Passes Bill Sponsored By Murray and Cantwell

New location will shorten travel times, shrinks administrative costs & help North Puget Sound defendants avoid serious consequences – including arrest – over missed court dates

Washington, D.C. – This week, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 404-3 to pass the Improving Access to Our Courts Act, a bill cosponsored by U.S. Patty Murray (D-WA) and Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) that will establish a new location in Mount Vernon, Washington, for the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington to hold certain proceedings.

“A key part of having a fair and just judicial system is equal access to our courts—actually being able to get to court without having to take extra time off work or figure out child care,” said Sen. Murray. “With today’s vote on our bill, we are making the justice system more accessible to more people. The new court in Mount Vernon will ensure that more people in Skagit County who need to access our courts can actually go to a courthouse in their own community.”

“The appearance rate at Bellingham’s federal court is only 38 percent. The problem is that the vast majority of defendants live closer to Mount Vernon,” Sen. Cantwell said when the bill was introduced in the Senate. “When defendants can’t make the trip – often due to an inflexible work schedule, lack of transportation or childcare needs— they get hit with an arrest warrant. Adding Mount Vernon as a place to hold court will make for a more accessible legal system for the community and reduce administrative costs associated with missed hearings.”

The Improving Access to Our Courts Act passed the Senate by unanimous consent in February 2023, and will now go to President Joe Biden for his signature.

The additional court location in Mount Vernon will allow the court to relocate its monthly Central Violations Bureau (CVB) proceedings from Bellingham to Mount Vernon, a closer location for most of those who come to court, such as defendants, witnesses, and attorneys. CVB proceedings typically start around 5:30 p.m. and finish around 7:00 p.m., and most litigants have to drive long distances, often in the dark and sometimes during inclement weather.  Federal court proceedings will be held at Skagit County’s Community Justice Center, an existing facility the county owns, so there is no need to construct a new facility before these changes can be put into effect.

Statistics compiled from 2014-2017 revealed that the vast majority of defendants cited into court live south of Bellingham and closer to Mount Vernon. Of the 710 defendants cited into court during that time period, only 271 appeared – an appearance rate of just 38 percent. 

If a defendant fails to appear, the court issues a new summons to appear in 30 days, requests an arrest warrant for criminal matters, and orders a driver’s license suspension for traffic offenses.  The low appearance rate requires extra work for court staff, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and law enforcement, driving up the court’s administrative costs.

Judges of the Western District of Washington and the Federal Judicial Conference sought the changes provided by the legislation. The bill passed yesterday also has the approval of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the support of the United States Attorney for Western Washington, the Federal Public Defender for Western Washington, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Skagit County Bar Association, the Whatcom County Bar Association, and federal law enforcement agents who appear in court.

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