The civil recall petition seeking to remove Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson has moved to the next phase after being officially assigned to King County Superior Court Judge Patrick Oishi.
This step is a formality as the court will now determine the validity of the case.
The process began when two Seattle voters filed recall charges alleging that Wilson has been derelict in her duties concerning public safety across the city. Under Washington state law governing recall efforts, the matter underwent a technical review by the Civil Division of the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. This preliminary evaluation checked the fundamental legal mechanics of the filing, verifying that the petitioners are registered Seattle voters, confirming the petition was properly signed, and ensuring the submission provided a concise summary of the claims.
Following this technical assessment, prosecutors submitted the formal Petition to Determine Sufficiency of Recall Charges and Adequacy of Ballot Synopses to the court, prompting the assignment to Judge Oishi.
An open public hearing is scheduled for Monday, August 31st 9:00 AM at the King County Courthouse. During this session, the court will not rule on the factual truth of the claims, but will determine whether the allegations legally meet the statutory criteria and whether the proposed ballot synopsis is sufficient to allow signature gathering to proceed.
State law requires collecting signatures equal to 25% of the total votes cast for all candidates in the preceding election for that office. Proponents would need to collect around 70,000 valid signatures in that scenario.
In 2021, District 3 voters narrowly defeated a recall effort against City Councilmember Kshama Sawant.
The recall effort comes amid a spike in gun violence across Capitol Hill.
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