First as a domestic violence prosecutor and now as a judge, Angela Kaake '00 continues to seek justice in the courtroom.
This story originally appeared in Lawyer, Spring 2024.
Receiving a summons for jury duty often elicits groans. For Angela Kaake ’00, it was service on a jury as a young adult — combined with a high school field trip years earlier to watch a trial at the King County Courthouse — which ignited a desire to study law. 
Since graduating from Seattle University School of Law in 2000, Kaake has spent 23 years as a King County prosecutor, specializing in gender-based violence and violence against children.
“I wanted to become a prosecutor to let victim-survivors have that peace of mind knowing that they have someone working on their behalf, making sure that they have their voices heard in the justice system,” Kaake said.
Kaake is now taking on a new role as a King County Superior Court judge. In appointing Kaake, Gov. Jay Inslee called her a “well-respected, dedicated public servant” with “integrity, a work ethic, trial experience and compassion.”
“I’m excited for this new step. It’s a different position, but one where I’m still able to give everyone access to the justice system,” Kaake said. “It’s important that everyone is heard and treated with respect.”
That goal to give everyone a voice has fueled Kaake to advocate on behalf of victim-survivors. She especially connects with those she helps as a fellow woman.
“It’s something that speaks to me about victims in that position, really wanting to do a good job for them,” Kaake said. “It hits differently than a victim of a stolen car. It’s very personal.”
Kaake said that Seattle U Law’s Jesuit values, including “the cause of justice,” guide her to this day. Instead of jailing offenders as the first and only option, Kaake and her fellow prosecutors use a progressive, social justice-oriented approach to identify alternative solutions that provide opportunities for offenders to turn their lives around.
An example is a first-of-its-kind program developed with the YWCA called SurvivorsFIRST, which helps women — especially women of color — charged with crimes related to abusive relationships, such as violent retaliation (not in self-defense) against abusers, or getting caught up in their partners’ crimes, like burglary.
Instead of jail time, the women receive support services such as substance abuse and mental health treatment, housing assistance, job counseling, and more. The former pilot project now receives federal funding. Kaake believes this “big picture” way of looking at a case will help prepare her for a career on the bench.
“Sometimes people forget that prosecutors want justice too,” Kaake said.
Inspired by the importance of “leadership and mentoring,” also themes of Kaake’s Seattle U Law experience, she has spent the past several years as a supervisor of new attorneys. It is especially rewarding for her to mentor young women and show them that there is a place for them in a sphere traditionally dominated by white men. This diversity also sends a powerful message to victim-survivors.
“Many of them are people of color, and for victim-survivors to see strong, female women of color is really important,” she said. “Representation matters.”