Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) began in 1976 when Presiding Judge David Soukep of King County Superior Court in Seattle, Washington began to look for alternative ways to make sure that the best interests of children would be consistently represented in court.

Judge Soukep said, "As a Judge, I had to decide whether to take a child from the only home he's ever known or leave him someplace where he might possibly be abused.

"I needed someone who could tell me what was best for the child... from the child's viewpoint. That's what CASA does."

In 1992, Judge Patrick J. Riley introduced and supported a CASA program on the Western Slope of El Dorado County and then expanded the program to include South Lake Tahoe in 1994.

Today CASA of El Dorado County provides over a hundred trained CASA volunteers to advocate for the best interests of more than 150 children annually. With the guidance, encouragement and support of the Honorable Presiding Judge Suzanne K. Kingsbury, CASA of El Dorado County has grown into a program that is respected for their child advocacy in the Court system and has earned a high level of respectability in our communities.