Edmonds Municipal Court Judge Linda Coburn received the Judge of the Year Award from the Asian Bar Association of Washington on Friday, Oct. 19. Washington Supreme Court Associate Justice Mary Yu presented Coburn the award at the association’s annual gala held at The Sanctuary in Seattle.

“Judge Coburn is so deserving of this recognition for her extraordinary work as a judge and as a member of our community,” said Yu. “She is intelligent, energetic, compassionate, fair, witty. A faithful mentor to aspiring lawyers and judges. Intense. And most importantly, she is courageous and a truth teller.”

Coburn has served on the governing board of the District and Municipal Court Judges Association since 2016 and has been a member of the Washington State Minority and Justice Commission since 2015, the same year she took the bench in Edmonds Municipal Court. She is currently chair of the Legal Financial Obligation (LFO) Calculator Pilot Project as part of the LFO Consortium. She also is a member of the Jury Diversity Task Force and the Pretrial Reform Task Force. As a member of the DMCJA Diversity Committee, she regularly presents at the biennial pro tempore training event co-sponsored by the Washington State Bar Association.

Prior to becoming a judge, she was a felony attorney at Snohomish County Public Defender Association. She previously clerked for the Honorable Stephen J. Dwyer at the Washington State Court of Appeals and the Honorable George N. Bowden in Snohomish County Superior Court. Coburn earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington, a master’s of science degree from Ohio University, and graduated cum laude from Seattle University Law School, where she was Special Projects Editor on Law Review.

Coburn has lived in Edmonds for almost 26 years. She also is a member of the Snohomish County Board of Volleyball Officials and was recently selected to officiate at the state volleyball championship tournament for 3A and 4A high schools to be held in Yakima next month.