Cathy Moore grew up in Seattle, in the Lake City and Capitol Hill neighborhoods. After graduating from Binghamton University and Albany Law School, she worked as a public defender and later as a family law attorney. Moore served the City of Seattle as chair of the Seattle Human Rights Commission, interim legislative aide to Councilmember Richard Conlin, and Interim City Clerk. She also served as judge pro tem and commissioner pro tem in King County Superior Court, as well as a tribal drug court judge and a state administrative law judge. She was elected as a King County Superior Court Judge in 2016 and retired from that position in 2022. Moore was elected to the District 5 seat on City Council in 2023, taking office in January 2024. She chaired the Housing and Human Services Committee, and her stated areas of focus while in office included public safety, sidewalks, housing and homelessness, and tree preservation. Moore resigned from the council in July 2025.