A disciplinary review board improperly reinstated a fired Seattle police officer who punched an intoxicated, handcuffed woman in the face hard enough to cause an orbital fracture, an appeals court in Washington ruled, finding the board’s decision sends a message that violation of a clear policy is “not that serious if the officer is dealing with a difficult subject, losing patience, or passionate in believing that he or she did nothing wrong.”
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The Washington Supreme Court ruled that “there is no meaningful cognitive difference between 17-year-olds and many 18-year-olds,” and courts must exercise the same discretion when sentencing a 17-year-old to die in prison as they do when sentencing 18- to 20-year-olds.
Read moreThe Washington Supreme Court ruled against a school district in a wrongful death suit arising from an incident in which two students were fatally hit by a car while on an off-campus walk with their PE class, finding the walk “did not comply with internal policies and safety precautions.”
Read moreA provision in Washington’s Law Against Discrimination that exempts religious nonprofits from the definition of “employer” does not violate the state’s constitution, a federal court ruled, but it may be unconstitutional as applied to a lawyer who was denied a staff attorney position at a Christian organization that helps the homeless because he disclosed that he was in a same-sex relationship.
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The Ninth Circuit will decide if local zoning rules should govern an already-completed railroad expansion in the Columbia River Gorge.
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Hoping for better luck in state court, Parler — the social media network adored by the far right — sued its former web host Amazon Web Services, claiming AWS’ decision to pull the plug violated various Washington state laws.
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Google said it wouldn’t run political ads in Washington state after it agreed to settle claims that it violated campaign finance laws. Then dozens more candidates and political committees reported paying Google for political ads.
Read moreThurston County Sheriff John Snaza can’t be recalled over statements he made in a press release saying he would not criminally enforce the state’s Covid-19 mask mandate, the Washington Supreme Court ruled, finding his refusal to do so “was not manifestly unreasonable.”
Read moreAn appeals court in Washington upheld the dismissal of a case brought by 13 people between the ages of 8 and 18 who claim the state’s reliance on fossil fuel-based energy and transportation systems violated their rights. While the judges “firmly believe that the right to a stable environment should be fundamental,” they found they would violate the separation of powers doctrine if they resolved the youths’ claims.
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Snoqualmie tribal offices were closed Friday to honor the death of Chief Andy de los Angeles, who led the tribe’s decades-long effort to re-gain federal recognition. But the fight wasn’t over.
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Officials began clearing a sprawling homeless camp at city hall after protesters broke into the building, occupied the lobby and forced the evacuation of the mayor last week.
Read moreWashington state sued the collegiate sorority Alpha Omicron Pi on Monday for charging University of Washington students $6,000 in rent for sorority housing they could not access or live in because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Read moreFour out of five recall charges filed against Snohomish County Sheriff Adam Fortney are legally sufficient, the Supreme Court of Washington ruled. Fortney stated that he would not enforce Governor Jay Inslee’s Covid-19-related “Stay Home – Stay Healthy” proclamation.
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With the coronavirus spreading faster than it ever has in California, worried officials issued a desperate plea Friday for residents to stop traveling and hold “virtual” Thanksgiving celebrations.
Read moreAn appeals court in Washington affirmed an $18 million penalty imposed against the Grocery Manufacturers Association for violating state campaign-finance laws during a 2013 battle over a ballot initiative that would have required labeling ingredients with genetically modified organisms on all packaged food products.
Read moreThe Washington Supreme Court upheld a ruling in favor of a class of dairy workers who challenged a provision of the state Constitution that exempted agricultural workers from an overtime pay requirement.
Read moreThe Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s timber hunt rule — which permits hunters to use bait and hounds to kill black bears on timberlands — is invalid, an appeals court in the state ruled, remanding for reconsideration the Center for Biological Diversity’s claim the department arbitrarily and capriciously adopted the rule.
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Scientists removed 98 so-called murder hornets from a nest discovered near the Canadian border in Washington state over the weekend, including 13 that were captured live in a net, the state Department of Agriculture said Monday.
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SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Scientists have discovered the first nest of so-called murder hornets in the United States and plan
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