Judge Edirin Okoloko was appointed by Governor Jay Inslee to fill a vacant seat on our Snohomish County Superior Court bench, and he was retained by the voters in that position in 2020.  He is now running for re-election to his position on the bench in 2024.

Judge Okoloko was born in Benin City, Nigeria, the fourth of six children. His mother taught Judge Okoloko and his siblings about love and empathy; she raised them to see the humanity in others. Judge Okoloko’s father was a professor of molecular biology, and Judge Okoloko grew up watching his father in his lab and seeing the passion his father had for his work. Wanting to experience that kind of passion in his career, Judge Okoloko thought that he would study medicine. However, the military intervention in the democratic structure of government in Nigeria and the human rights abuses that followed, led him to the study and practice of law. In 1998, while in his final year of his law program in Nigeria, Judge Okoloko won and qualified for the Diversity Visa Lottery which allowed him to emigrate to the United States and eventually become a citizen.

Arriving in the Pacific Northwest, Judge Okoloko earned a second law degree with honors from Seattle University. After graduating from law school, Judge Okoloko was hired as a Judicial Law Clerk to Judge Michael Downes (ret) of the Snohomish County Superior Court.  He was later recruited by the Snohomish County Prosecutor’s Office and spent 13 years as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney prosecuting some of the most difficult charges of homicide, sexual assault, elder abuse, child abuse and other crimes against vulnerable members of our community.

Judge Okoloko has always been known for treating everyone with dignity and respect.  In 2007 and 2008, as the recipient of the Clerk’s Choice Award, he was honored by the Snohomish County court clerks for personifying personal and professional civility and courtesy to staff, litigants, and the bench.

During his career in the Prosecutor’s Office, he was a member of the Snohomish County Multi-Agency Response Team (S.M.A.R.T) which investigates incidents involving use of force by law enforcement officers.  He was also one of the on-call prosecutors responding to county wide homicides on behalf of the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.

Governor Inslee selected Judge Okoloko from a wide field of applicants to serve on the Superior Court bench.  Judge Okoloko brings the same dignity, civility, and courtesy to his work as a judge.  In 2022, Judge Okoloko was honored to be voted one of the top two judges on the Snohomish County Superior Court bench, and in 2024, the Snohomish County Bar Association named him their Judge of the Year.

Judge Okoloko has lived in Edmonds for many years, and is married to a fifth generation Washingtonian. Both he and his wife, a clinical social worker, are committed to being of service to their community. Judge Okoloko coaches youth soccer and on occasion, teaches law to local high school students through the Street Law program. His wife has worked and volunteered with organizations addressing homelessness, substance use disorders, mental illness, and racial inequities. The Okolokos are happy to be raising their two children in the beautiful Snohomish County community of Edmonds.