Hilary B. Mohr Appointed as Bankruptcy Judge for the Western District of Washington
N E W S R E L E A S E
Oct. 2, 2026
Contact: Katherine Rodriguez
mediarelease@ce9.uscourts.gov
SAN FRANCISCO — Judges of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit have appointed Hilary B. Mohr as a bankruptcy judge to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Washington. Her 14-year term began on Monday, September 28, when she took her oath of office. Judge Mohr maintains her chambers in Tacoma.
“We are thrilled to have Judge Mohr join us. As an attorney, she displayed all the attributes we hope to see from judges: extensive knowledge of the law, integrity, impartiality, and an even temperament. Judge Mohr will be a terrific addition to the bench,” said Chief Bankruptcy Judge Christopher M. Alston.
“I am passionate about public service and bankruptcy law,” said Judge Mohr. “As such, I am honored and humbled to have been selected to serve as a bankruptcy judge.”
Prior to her appointment to the bench, Judge Mohr worked in the U.S. Trustee Program (USTP), Department of Justice, where she served as the assistant U.S. trustee for the Western District of Washington and the District of Alaska since 2024. In 2025, she absorbed additional duties becoming the assistant U.S. trustee for the Eastern District of Washington. Previously, she served as a trial attorney in the U.S. trustee’s Seattle office from 2016 to 2024. As the assistant U.S. trustee, Judge Mohr supervised all personnel and activities of the U.S. Trustee’s Regional Office in Seattle, including oversight of all bankruptcy cases filed and all trustees appointed in the districts of Western Washington and Alaska—the same responsibilities she held while serving as acting assistant U.S. trustee in the Eastern District of Washington. Before joining federal service, Judge Mohr was in private practice for approximately eight years at Riddell Williams, P.S. (now Fox Rothschild) in Seattle where she focused on creditors’ rights litigation and bankruptcy. As a private attorney, Judge Mohr’s first trial was before her predecessor, the Honorable Brian D. Lynch (ret.) in the Tacoma courtroom that Judge Mohr now occupies.
Judge Mohr graduated with a bachelor’s degree in political science in 2002 from the University of Washington and earned her Juris Doctor, summa cum laude, in 2007 from Seattle University School of Law.
Judge Mohr has served as a board member of the Consumer Education and Training Services since 2020 and has previously served as an officer of the King County Bar Association Creditor/Debtor Section from 2014 to 2017. She was a member of the King County Washington Women Lawyers Board of Directors from 2008 to 2010.
The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Washington reported 7,051 bankruptcy filings in calendar year 2025, up 10.7% from the CY 2024. The court is authorized five permanent judgeships.
Judges of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit have statutory responsibility for selecting and appointing bankruptcy judges in the nine western states that comprise the 9th Circuit. The court uses a comprehensive merit selection process for the initial appointment and for reappointments. Bankruptcy judges serve a 14-year renewable term and handle all bankruptcy-related matters under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code.
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