This program is designed to handle motions and trials that cannot be heard by Pierce County Superior Court Judges. When a case becomes a visiting judge case, it remains with the Superior Court Judge to whom it was originally assigned for case management purposes only. All motions on Visiting Judge cases are heard in the county where the VJ resides. On the scheduled trial date, a Visiting Judge from another county will come to Pierce County to hear the trial unless other arrangements have been made to which all the parties have agreed.

Once a case becomes a visiting judge case, the Visiting Judge Coordinator will contact all counsel by letter to advise them of the name and telephone number of the Visiting Judge's judicial assistant who may issue an amended case schedule.

Pierce County has a monthly half day judge trade arrangement with neighboring counties to hear visiting judge motions as needed. To confirm hearings on visiting judge cases which are scheduled to be heard during these motion trades, contact the Visiting Judge Coordinator at (253) 798-7287 or her backup at 798-6669 by noon on the Wednesday before the motion is to be heard.

Proceedings on VJ cases CAN NOT be set electronically by e-filing a Note. Proceedings scheduled to be heard by a Visiting Judge in another county must be confirmed with the Visiting Judge's staff in that county. All bench copies for these proceedings should be sent directly to the Visiting Judge. Bench copies for visiting judges which are received in error will not be forwarded.

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