Justice
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WSU, OSU granted restraining order against PAC-12
COLFAX - Washington State University (WSU) President Kirk Schulz, also current chairman of the PAC-12 board, and WSU athletic director Pat Chun were in Colfax Monday, Sept. 11, to... — Updated 9/14/2023
Pacific County joins lawsuit vs. DSHS
SOUTH BEND - Pacific County is a co-plaintiff in a lawsuit against the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) filed on Aug. 23 by 22 counties in Pierce... — Updated 9/7/2023
Sheriff's office seeking information regarding recent dog killings
Pasado’s Safe Haven, an animal sanctuary and rescue organization in the Pacific Northwest, is partnering with People for Animal Care and Kindness and Team Okanogan Animal Rescue to increase the reward for information leading to... — Updated 6/1/2023
State insurance commissioner highlights new rules under state pet insurance law
After Gov. Jay Inslee signed a new bill related to pet insurance into law in April, Washington residents can expect more protection and less confusion, according to a news release... — Updated 5/26/2023
Police pursuit law rules modified
Police may pursue suspects that pose long-term serious risk to others under revisions of a more restrictive 2022 vehicle chase law that has now passed both houses of this year’s Legislature. Engrossed Senate Bill 5352 was... — Updated 4/17/2023
Task force on missing indigenous women proposed to continue
A state task force on missing indigenous women, created in 2021, will be extended at least two more years if a Senate-passed bill is approved by the House and governor. The bill, Senate Bill 5477, sponsored by Sen. Nikki Torres,... — Updated 3/10/2023
Assault rifles to be banned immediately if bill passed through the House becomes law
The manufacture, distribution and sale of any assault weapon would be prohibited by legislation passed by the state House of Representatives and now in the Senate. “There has been a dramatic shift in the public, I think... — Updated 3/10/2023
Senate approves safety measures for road workers
Installing automated vehicle speed cameras and other measures to improve highway safety were approved in separate bills by the state Senate Feb.23. “Speed kills. Our work zones have lower posted speeds for very good reasons. This... — Updated 3/8/2023
Domestic violence bills improve victim safety
Victims of domestic violence will get more protection under a package of bills now moving through the state Legislature. Rep. Lauren Davis, D-Shoreline, is sponsoring House Bill 1715. The bill challenges the idea that domestic viol... — Updated 3/8/2023
Legislature moving on tighter drunk driving laws
Ashley Bonus said she began her fight against impaired driving after her sister, Stacy Gammons-Ankerfelt, died in an accident in 2012. Now, she wants a new law that lowers the blood alcohol level needed to sustain an impaired drivi... — Updated 3/8/2023
Stalking would be the same crime, online or in person
Stalking is stalking, whether it is in person or online, and they will be treated as identical crimes if a bill presented in the Legislature is adopted. Under current law, a person commits the crime of stalking if they repeatedly... — Updated 3/8/2023
Police dogs to be trained to find fentanyl
The war against the use of illegal fentanyl will get some extra help in the future from drug sniffing dogs trained to detect the substance. That’s the intent of House Bill 1635, introduced by Rep. Gina Mosbrucker, R-Goldendale.... — Updated 3/8/2023
Crime victims get added confidentiality
Victims and witnesses who track perpetrators in prison to know when they are released will be able to keep their identities private, if a bill that passed the Senate with broad bipartisan support becomes law. “This bill creates... — Updated 3/8/2023
Effort to make roads safer wins bipartisan support
Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle and Gov. Jay Inslee say they are backing a package of new laws aimed at protecting workers, pedestrians and commuters. New bills would... — Updated 3/8/2023
Proposed law shields businesses from out-of-state abortion claims
Washington State employers will receive tools against retaliation from states with anti-abortion laws if a bill presented in the Senate is passed. Senate Bill 5260, by Sen. Karen Keiser, D-Des Moines, is one of five reproductive... — Updated 3/8/2023
Constitutional amendment to protect abortion rights stirs support, protest
Mary Le Nguyen stood in front of a group of 70 abortion-rights activists on the Capitol steps for a "reproductive freedom rally" in early January and she shared her personal story... — Updated 3/8/2023
Bill proposes sealing name changes for abuse victims
People who change their names to hide from their abusers should be afforded more privacy. That, at least, is the conclusion Maia Xiao came to after a transgender friend committed suicide after being harassed online despite a name... — Updated 3/8/2023
Dogs bring comfort to victims, witnesses
Four dogs sat in a House hearing room and two more watched the room over Zoom as a legislative committee discussed rules dog handlers must follow in courthouses for dogs to assist p... — Updated 3/8/2023
Records requests put a strain on Woodland staff
A rash of recent public records requests has led to some tough conversations on how the city of Woodland will handle what some councilors have denounced as nothing more than a taxpayer burden. During its Sept. 6 meeting, the... — Updated 9/15/2022
Attorney General files civil rights lawsuit against Ostrom Mushroom Farms
Attorney General Bob Ferguson has filed a civil rights lawsuit against Ostrom Mushroom Farms in Sunnyside on Wednesday, August 17. Ferguson's lawsuit, filed at the Yakima County... — Updated 8/18/2022
Lawsuit filed against Clark County auditor over primary ballot inclusions
A candidate for Clark County auditor has filed a lawsuit against current Auditor Greg Kimsey over the inclusion of nonpartisan races with two or fewer candidates on the August... — Updated 7/28/2022
U.S. Border Patrol agents off the hook after court ruling
The U.S. Supreme Court's 6-3 decision to reject Smuggler's Inn owner Bob Boule's lawsuit against a U.S. Border Patrol agent further protects federal law enforcement officials from... — Updated 6/16/2022
U.S. Supreme Court rejects Bob Boule's suit against U.S. Border Patrol agent
The U.S. Supreme Court reversed the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision to uphold Smuggler's Inn owner Bob Boule's Fourth Amendment excessive-force claim and First Amendment... — Updated 6/9/2022
Legislature 2022: What passed and what didn't
Gov. Jay Inslee said lawmakers delivered on his call to take “big, bold, action,” after the 60-day legislative session came to a close March 10 in Olympia, working until the midnight deadline to push through a $64.1 billion sup... — Updated 6/9/2022
New Statewide Alert System for Missing Indigenous People Is a Welcomed Change for Nisqually Tribe
In March, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signed a bill into law that would create a statewide alert system for missing Indigenous people. It was the first of its kind to be put in... — Updated 4/28/2022
School district working to settle public records lawsuit
The Grand Coulee Dam School District will offer $16,000 to a man who filed a lawsuit against them regarding a public records request, and who has reportedly made around a million dollars over the years with similar lawsuits... — Updated 4/28/2022
Use of force by police redefined under new law
People with mental health problems and juveniles can be detained or restrained by law enforcement, according to new legislation on the use of force. The new law, House Bill 1735, passed the Washington State House with a 90-5 vote,... — Updated 4/28/2022
Standards for police pursuits, use of force, defined
Police can pursue and stop vehicles if they have a “reasonable suspicion” of a crime being committed under new legislation that is headed to the desk of Gov. Jay Inslee. The Washington State House of Representatives voted 86-12... — Updated 4/28/2022
Large capacity gun magazine ban moves to governor's desk
Since September 2016 Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson has been working toward implementing gun reform that would prevent acts like the Mukilteo mass shooting on July 30, 2016. Now, a ban on high-capacity magazines... — Updated 4/28/2022
Cannabis workers want longer sentences for robberies
Cannabis dispensary owners and employees are hoping to see a decrease in armed robberies with the passage of a bill imposing stricter penalties for offenders. The bill proposes increasing the standard sentence range by 12 months... — Updated 4/28/2022
Far too little fraud to make a difference in election, AP finds
An Associated Press review of every potential case of voter fraud in the six battleground states disputed by former President Donald Trump has found fewer than 475 — a number that would have made no difference in the 2020... — Updated 3/16/2022
Appropriate use of force for law enforcement debated
The amount of force a police officer uses must be “proportional and reasonable,” a bill approved recently by the State Senate says. The bill also specifies officers will also be allowed to engage in vehicular pursuits as long a... — Updated 3/11/2022
Senate votes to ban high-capacity magazines
In an effort to tackle gun violence and strengthen public safety, the state Senate passed legislation Feb. 9 that bans the sale of high-capacity magazines – anything over 10 rounds – but doesn’t prohibit the use of... — Updated 3/11/2022
Proposed law offers offenders serving long sentences a chance for freedom
Incarcerated individuals who serve 15, 20, or 25 years of total confinement would have the opportunity to apply for a conditional commutation under a bill passed by the Washington State Senate and now being considered in the... — Updated 3/11/2022
Police restraint gets clarification in House bill
Mental health victims and juveniles can be restrained by law enforcement when responding to requests for assistance from crisis responders. That is the thrust of House Bill 1735, which passed the state House with a 90-5 vote and... — Updated 3/11/2022
Lawmakers propose Women's Suffrage Day
Women fought a decades-long battle for the right to vote, and now lawmakers want to memorialize the crusade by designating March 22 Women’s Suffrage Day. The 19th Amendment, prohibiting voting discrimination on the basis of sex,... — Updated 3/11/2022
Inslee would support law to ban lying about elections
On the one-year anniversary of the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, Gov. Jay Inslee announced he will support legislation criminalizing lying about election results. “It should not be legal in the state of Washington for... — Updated 3/11/2022
More protection for election officials approved by Senate
Election officials will get more protection from harassment if SB 5148 becomes law. The bill was approved in the Senate Jan. 12 with 48 yeas and 0 nays. It will be up to the House... — Updated 2/9/2022
Boule civil case goes to U.S. Supreme Court, could expand First Amendment rights
A civil case between Smuggler's Inn owner Bob Boule and a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent has made it to the U.S. Supreme Court. Boule sued border patrol agent Erik Egbert... — Updated 11/19/2021
Seattle jury convicts Bellingham woman of attempted train shunt attack Grace McCarthy
A Seattle jury convicted a 28-year-old Bellingham woman charged with one count of violence against a railroad carrier for attempting to derail a train in north Bellingham almost a... — Updated 9/16/2021
Appeals Court Upends State Shellfish Farming
After a years-long battle, a ruling by the federal district court of Western Washington was unanimously upheld by the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in February affirming that... — Updated 5/21/2021
