Gentry Thorpe, a cook at the new Denny’s in Walla Walla. He’s grateful for employers that practice second chance hiring. (Credit: Susan Shain / NWPB) Listen (Runtime 3:41) Read It […]Read More
Bryan Kohberger, who is accused of killing four University of Idaho students in November 2022, walks past a video display as he enters a courtroom to appear at a hearing […]Read More
In February 2021, the Washington State Supreme Court ruled that the State's felony drug possession statute was unconstitutional. This decision, known as State v. Blake, has far-reaching impacts that affect anyone previously convicted of simple possession of a controlled substance. Read More
The Democratic proposal, shared first with NPR, comes as the party will have unified control of Congress after victories in two Georgia Senate races, a change in fortunes for Democratic legislative priorities. The legislation would end capital punishment at the federal level and require the resentencing of all federal inmates on death row.Read More
The legislation removes cannabis from the list of federally controlled substances and expunges low-level convictions and arrests. But the GOP Senate is not expected to take up the bill.Read More
In April the justices said future split verdicts in criminal trials are unconstitutional. Now the question is what about such verdicts in the past — potentially several thousand of them.Read More
Washington Supreme Court Justice Raquel Montoya-Lewis didn't meet a lawyer until law school. Now she wants others from underrepresented communities to picture themselves in the legal system.Read More
Several states approve marijuana for recreational and medicinal use. Oregon votes to decriminalize possession of small amounts of hard drugs.Read More
"The Grand Jury is meant to be a secretive body," Attorney General Daniel Cameron says in a statement. "It's apparent that the public interest in this case isn't going to allow that to happen."Read More
When the coronavirus pandemic shut down courtrooms around the country, criminal defense attorneys had to quickly figure out how to continue to serve their clients. Over the last two months, a combination of factors have delayed court proceedings, leaving criminal defendants in limbo as they wait for their stalled cases to move forward.Read More
This adaptation of attorney Bryan Stevenson's book about a wrongly condemned black man dramatizes that case while offering an unflinching look at the death penalty.Read More
Tarra Simmons, of Bremerton, who in 2017 won a Supreme Court fight to sit for the state bar exam, despite her prior criminal conviction, plans to formally announce her candidacy for the state House on Monday.Read More
The U.S. Supreme Court kicks off its new term Monday with a case that has potentially sweeping implications for Oregon, and could end the state’s non-unanimous jury system.Read More
Washington's Sentencing Guidelines Commission, tasked with promoting accountability and equity in sentencing, has adopted a report to the state Legislature that urges lawmakers to consider two options for modernizing the grid with the twin goals of simplifying sentencing and increasing judicial discretion.Read More
The stain of a criminal record complicates life’s basics when people are released back into their communities: from finding a place to live to buying insurance. Thousands in Washington state continue to face barriers even after they’ve turned their lives around. Some can tap into a process to clear their records, giving them a fresh start. But the process is complicated, Read More
The severity of the officer shortage varies by location, but the national trend is clear: Since 2013, the total number of working sworn officers has fallen by about 23,000. The number of officers per capita is down even more sharply, from 2.42 per 1,000 residents in 1997 to 2.17 officers per 1,000 in 2016.Read More
How to get away with murder? Maybe don't write a blog post about getting away with murder.Read More
Former Washington state Auditor Troy Kelley was sentenced Friday to one year and one day in prison and one year of supervised release.Read More
Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers is lobbying for a bipartisan prison reform bill that passed the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this month. The Republican made the pitch in Spokane this week.Read More
The former House speaker is getting into the marijuana game, illustrating the ironies of the way many Americans think about weed, particularly when it comes to race.Read More
A Snohomish County man faces a federal charge alleging he sent nearly a dozen explosive packages to government agencies in the Washington, D.C. area.Read More
A Washington climate activist is the first “valve turner” to go to prison for shutting off the flow of oil from Canada’s tar sands region into the U.S.Read More
The prosecutor of Washington’s most populous county is calling for the repeal of the death penalty. Dan Satterberg plan testified before legislators January 22 in favor of a proposal to replace capital punishment with life without the possibility of parole.
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Even though it was a separate case from the Malheur Wildlife Refuge occupation, many environmentalists and opponents of the occupation viewed the Nevada Bundy case as an opportunity to get what they viewed as justice.Read More
OLYMPIA, Wash. – Washington lawmakers are considering a plan to save money by abolishing the death penalty in the state. That idea got a hearing today in Olympia. Karil Klingbeil […]Read More
