Tacoma Municipal Court Judge Drew Henke has announced she will retire from the bench on December 31, 2025, concluding a distinguished legal career spanning four decades.
“It has been such a privilege and honor to serve the citizens of Tacoma as a Tacoma Municipal Court Judge,” said Judge Henke. “I am excited to start the next chapter of my life, but I know I will greatly miss all the wonderful, dedicated people – colleagues, attorneys, and especially staff – who I have had the good fortune to work with and get to know throughout my career.”
Judge Henke was elected to the Tacoma Municipal Court in 2014. During her tenure, she served as Presiding Judge and was instrumental in the creation and implementation of the Behavioral Health Court, a specialty court designed to address the root causes of criminal behavior in defendants with mental health conditions.
“Judge Henke’s contributions to our judiciary and to the people of Tacoma have been truly profound,” said Mayor Victoria Woodards. “Her steadfast commitment to fairness, compassion, and equal access to justice, especially through her leadership in establishing the Behavioral Health Court, has changed lives and strengthened our community. We are deeply grateful for her service, and we wish her every joy in her well-earned retirement.”
A 1985 graduate of the University of Puget Sound School of Law, Judge Henke began her career as a criminal defense attorney. She joined the Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office in 1988 as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney. Over the course of 20 years with the Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office, she tried cases ranging from misdemeanors to murder and supervised both the District Court and Juvenile Divisions, playing a key role in training the next generation of prosecutors.
Before her election to the Tacoma Municipal Court, Judge Henke served as an Administrative Law Judge for the Office of Administrative Hearings. Beyond the courtroom, she served on the board of the District and Municipal Court Judges’ Association, the Judicial Ethics Advisory Board, and the Council on Public Defense.
Following her retirement, Judge Henke plans to spend time with her family and her husband, who retired last year.