Trial Information

Last Content Update: 8 hours ago

Live Stream

Live streamed courtroom proceedings may not be recorded without prior permission from the judicial officer presiding in that courtroom pursuant to General Rule 16. Unless you have already received express permission of the Court to record a specific proceeding, by clicking on the play button you agree that you will not record, and not allow others to record, any of these proceedings.

The live stream is only available when court is on the record, typically between the hours of 9:00-12:00 and 1:00-4:30 PM.

If you are having trouble viewing the livestream, please refresh this page and then click the play icon on the video.  Video will not show if the court is at recess or off the record. There is not a notification that the court is back on the record. It is up to the person viewing the livestream to refresh the page. Please note there may be images, video, or audio that is disturbing to some viewers. Viewer discretion is advised. Jurors are not shown on camera.

Trouble Viewing the Live Stream? Click Here.

In-Person Viewing Information

There will be a limited and varied number of gallery seats available for in-person viewing during jury selection, trial and deliberations at the courthouse. We understand the importance of public access to judicial proceedings and strive to accommodate as many interested individuals as possible. Please review the courthouse screening guidelines and list of prohibited items to help minimize delays. Please click on the tabs below for additional information and to reserve a gallery seat.

Beginning November 1, 2023 in Courtroom 323, no food or drinks can be consumed in the gallery other than water. All food and drinks should be kept in bags or backpacks while in the courtroom.

Trial Gallery Seating
36 Seats Available to Public (Ticket), 12 Seats Available for State Family (Badged), 14 Seats Available for Defense Family (Badged) and 5 Members of the Media (Badged)

Reserve a Gallery Seat

Gallery Seating Instructions

At 12:00 p.m. the day before a trial day (Sunday-Wednesday), the Gallery Seating Check-In website will activate.
Members of the public interested in getting a seat for the following day will visit the website and submit their request.
The seating software will tell you how many seats are still available when you visit the website. If there are no seats available, you will not be able to go through the request process.
There is no advanced request for seating. Once the date is full, it will be unavailable. For example, a member of the public could not reserve in September, for a date in December when the verdict might be read.
If you reserve a seat, you are directed to bring your ticket (digital or printed) to the County-City Building (CCB), 930 Tacoma Ave S. the next day.
On the morning of the trial day, gallery members can check-in inside the third-floor hallway of the CCB.
At 8:30 a.m., Court staff will begin checking-in gallery members.
Once you have been confirmed as having a reservation, you will be provided the wristband of the day.
Access into Courtroom 323 will begin at 8:30 a.m.
Gallery members and family members of the State and Defense will be required to turn off their phones/recording devices and place them into a YONDR pouch prior to entry into the courtroom.
- The YONDR pouches will be given to you to hold while in the courtroom.
- The YONDR pouches can only be unlocked by Court staff.
- Attorneys, their staff, defendants, witnesses, and members of the Media are not required to place their phones in YONDR pouches.
You are encouraged to be in your seats by 9:00 a.m.
Members of the public will not be allowed to enter the courtroom without going through the web check-in process and receiving a wristband.
Those gallery members who are late to arrive will be checked-in outside of courtroom 323.

How long do “normal” trials take and how long is this trial expected to take?

There is no such thing as a “normal” trial. Each trial is unique in the amount of evidence presented, and the number of witnesses and experts called to testify. This trial is expected to take between 8-12 weeks. The duration of a trial is affected by many factors and could shorten or lengthen due to events that transpire during the trial.

How can I receive a copy of the transcript?

Court Reporter transcripts, while public record, are not made part of the court file. They are the property of the court reporter and must be requested directly from the court reporter for a fee. The court reporters set the timeline on when requests from members of the public will be filled. Pierce County Superior Court does not utilize digital court recording equipment in our trial courtrooms. There have been digital court recordings of one proceeding in this high-profile trial. The original arraignment was recorded in Courtroom 270 which is our high-volume criminal arraignment courtroom and does not use a court reporter. A recording of that proceeding can be requested through the Pierce County Superior Court Clerk’s Office for a fee.

What if I have questions about why or how a decision was made in this trial? Can I speak with the judge or a court employee about the decision?

Court staff or judicial officers cannot provide legal advice and cannot discuss judicial decisions outside of the court hearing. If there are concerns about the decisions of a judicial officer those are brought up by the parties in the appeal process.

I am hoping to watch the livestream or appear in the courtroom to watch the proceedings. Can I be guaranteed that the trial will be on the record?

While the trial is scheduled to run Monday-Thursday, 9-12/1:30-4, there is no guarantee that court will be in session when you are able to watch. There are many reasons why the trial might not occur when you are able to view. There are times due to witness/expert availability or a question the parties are trying to answer for the judge that cause the court to be shut down for full or partial day. There will likely be very little advanced notice that court is not proceeding. Being in receipt of a seat in the gallery does not guarantee court will be in session.

Will the livestream be recorded?

The court will not record the livestream. This also means the day’s proceedings will not be rebroadcast by the court later in the day. Members of the media will have access to the courtroom and may have coverage of the trial.

Will Voir Dire be livestreamed?

Voir Dire is the process of jury selection and is expected to take the first two weeks of the trial. Pierce County Superior Court does not livestream jury selection. There will be limited gallery seating for the public and members of the media during the jury selection process. There will also be space in the courtroom for families of the defense and the state. The seating process will be the same as for when the trial begins. Please check back on the trial website for further instructions.

Will evidence be displayed on the livestream?

The court does not broadcast the evidence presented to the jury over the livestream. The livestream feed does show the large monitor in the courtroom where evidence will be displayed for the jury and the audio will be broadcast as part of the livestream.

If the livestream goes down, will court stop?

The court is required to have an open courtroom. Our courtrooms are open to the public and livestreaming is only a way to increase transparency for the public. If the livestream feed goes down, the court will work as quickly as possible to restore the livestream but stopping court proceedings is up to the judge presiding over the case. The livestream is subject to available bandwidth and resources.

Local media outlets are also livestreaming from the courtroom while court is in session.

When will deliberations begin and how long will they last?

The court has no way of knowing when deliberations will begin. As the end of the trial draws nearer, the court may have a better understanding of when deliberations may begin. The court does not know how long a jury may take to deliberate on a verdict.

What is the public seating capacity for Courtroom 323?

Courtroom 323 has a capacity for 36 members of the public. They will be seated during the trial in the last five rows of the right side of the courtroom.

Will the Tacoma Officer trial be the only case in Superior Court?

Pierce County Superior Court conducts around 600 trials (jury and non-jury) per year. This means that all judicial departments and commissioner courtrooms will be active during the trial. Superior Court is not the only jurisdiction in the County City Building. District Court and Tacoma Municipal Court will also be conducting normal operations in the building.

Who decides what side of the courtroom the attorneys sit on?

The State (prosecutor) sits closest to the jury box. In Courtroom 323 the “State” side is on the left side of the courtroom. You may notice this extends to the gallery as well. Additional attorneys and staff for the Attorney General’s Office and family members of Manny Ellis are also seated on the left side of the courtroom. The defense side (right side) includes additional attorneys and staff for the defense along with defendant’s family members. Because of the physical layout of this courtroom, including the large pillar on the left side, the available additional seating is on the right side of the courtroom. As a result, members of the public are seated only on the right side of the courtroom.

Trial Information

Select an Option

Learn More

Learn More

Select an Option

Learn More

Live Stream

In-Person Viewing Information

Reserve a Gallery Seat

Reserve a Gallery Seat

COVID-19 Restrictions and Response

Trial Timeline

Frequently Asked Questions

Contact Information

Questions regarding case State v. Burbank, Collins and Rankine?

Send A Message

About Superior Court

How can we help?

Contact Us

Informational Links

Helpful Links