David S. Mann is seeking reelection to Washington’s Court of Appeals, Division 1, District 1, Position 5, in the November 3, 2026, general election. King County Elections lists him as the sole candidate in this nonpartisan race.

Washington State Courts reports that Mann joined the appellate court by appointment in August 2016 and subsequently won elections in 2017 and 2020. He served as Division 1 chief judge from 2020 to 2022 and serves on the Board of Judicial Administration and Judicial Information Systems Executive Committee.

Before becoming a judge, Mann practiced trial and appellate law, concentrating on environmental regulation, land use, property, water and administrative law. His official biography notes that he argued a Freedom of Information Act case before the U.S. Supreme Court in 2011.

Mann studied geophysics at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and worked as a geophysicist before entering law school. He graduated with honors and an environmental-law certificate from Lewis & Clark Law School in 1991.

Sources: King County Elections, 2026 general-election candidate list (https://info.kingcounty.gov/kcelections/Vote/contests/candidates.aspx?eid=55); Washington State Courts, Judge David S. Mann biography (https://www.courts.wa.gov/appellate_trial_courts/bios/?fa=atc_bios.display&folderid=div1&fileID=mann).

Responses are based on public data and answers to a Surround Sound Media questionnaire if they were provided.