law and courts Archives - Northwest Public Broadcasting

California legal decision could impact Washington law banning private detention of immigrants

By Lauren Gallup December 7, 2022

File photo. The Northwest Detention Center, run by the private GEO Group, is located in Tacoma. CREDIT: KOMO via AP

In September, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit overturned legislation in California that had banned private detention in the state. Now Washingtonians are waiting to see how that decision could impact a similar statue here. Read More

A Constitutional Quirk Inspired Stacey Abrams’ New Fiction Thriller, ‘While Justice Sleeps’

By NPR News May 9, 2021

Book cover of 'While Justice Sleeps' novel by Stacey Abrams

A Supreme Court justice is gravely ill, ideological control of the court hangs in the balance — throw in a ruthless president and an international conspiracy, and what you have is the plot of Stacey Abrams's new novel, While Justice Sleeps. Yes, that Stacey Abrams, the Georgia politician, and she's written a thriller ripped straight from the headlines — inspired by a Read More

Derek Chauvin Files For New Trial In George Floyd Murder Case

By NPR News May 4, 2021

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of murder and manslaughter on April 20 in the 2020 death of George Floyd. Minnesota Department of Corrections/AP

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin who was convicted last month of murdering George Floyd filed court documents for a new trial on Tuesday.Read More

Washington’s First Native American Supreme Court Justice Works So She Won’t Be The Last

By NWPB News November 14, 2020

Washington Supreme Court Justice Raquel Montoya-Lewis outside of her Lacey home on Oct. 12, 2020. CREDIT: Dorothy Edwards/Crosscut

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

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II On Playing Bobby Seale In ‘The Trial Of The Chicago 7’

By NPR News October 26, 2020

This image released by Netflix shows Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Bobby Seale in a scene from The Trial of the Chicago 7. Niko Tavernise/AP

The Emmy-award winning actor reflects on portraying the co-founder of the Black Panther Party in a new film written and directed by Aaron Sorkin about the landmark 1969 trial.Read More

Eastern Washington Planned Parenthood Sues Pop-Up Church Over Noise At Spokane Facility

By NWPB News August 6, 2020

The religious organization The Church at Planned Parenthood, which opposes abortion rights, holds regular demonstrations and services outside the Spokane facility of Planned Parenthood. Courtesy TCAPP via Facebook

The debate over whether a Spokane religious group can hold services in front of a Planned Parenthood facility is getting so loud and heated that it is headed toward a courtroom, where noise ordinances, the right to health care and the First Amendment are all likely to be debated.Read More

Appeals Court Tosses Out Death Sentence For Boston Marathon Bomber

By NPR News August 1, 2020

Flowers are placed at the memorial to the victims of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings on April 20. Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

A three-judge panel sends Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's case back to a lower court for resentencing, saying the jury that sentenced him to death had not been adequately vetted.Read More

Court Upholds Conviction Of Former Washington State Auditor Troy Kelley, Further Appeals Possible

By Austin Jenkins July 29, 2020

Former Washington State Auditor Troy Kelley. CREDIT: Austin Jenkins/N3

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday rejected an appeal by former Washington state Auditor Troy Kelley who sought to have his 2017 convictions for possession of stolen property, filing false tax returns and making false statements overturned.Read More

Washington Supreme Court Denies Prisoners’ Request For Release Over Coronavirus Fears

By NWPB News April 24, 2020

Debra Stephens, Chief Justice of the Washington state Supreme Court, appears on a TV livestream of court proceedings, April 23, 2020, as the Court hears oral arguments in a case that addressed the safety of prison inmates during the coronavirus outbreak.

The justices, in a 5-4 decision, said that the prisoners who had sued failed to show that the Department of Corrections was not properly addressing the risk of COVID-19.Read More

Washington Has A New State Supreme Court Justice: Judge Helen Whitener

By Austin Jenkins April 13, 2020

Pierce County Superior Court Judge Helen Whitener has been appointed to an open seat on the Washington Supreme Court.

Helen Whitener, who is originally from Trinidad, is believed to be only the second Black justice -- and the first Black woman -- to ever serve on the state’s high court, according to a spokesperson for the Supreme Court. Read More

Supreme Court Allows States To Virtually Eliminate The Insanity Defense

By NPR News March 24, 2020

The U.S. Supreme Court in Washington. CREDIT: Patrick Semansky/AP

By a 6-to-3 vote, the court essentially allows consideration of mental status only at sentencing. Dissenters accuse the majority of abandoning centuries of Anglo-American law. Read More

Suspect In 2017 Freeman High School Shooting Pleads Not Guilty

By Doug Nadvornick August 16, 2019

File photo. One student was killed when a gunman allegedly opened fire in a hallway filled with students at Freeman High School on Sept. 13, 2017. CREDIT: EMILY SCHWING/N3

The 17-year-old Sharpe pleaded not guilty to one count of aggravated first-degree murder, three counts of attempted murder and 51 second-degree assault charges. He's accused of killing student Sam Strahan and injuring three other students at Freeman High School in September 2017.Read More

Washington State Supreme Court Unanimously Upholds Three Strikes Sentencing Law

By Amy Radil August 16, 2019

Washington State Supreme Court building in Olympia. CREDIT: TONY OVERMAN

The Washington Supreme Court has unanimously upheld the state’s “three strikes” sentencing law, even for people who commit their first strike as young adults. But Justice Mary Yu also described “growing discomfort” with the “routine practice” of issuing mandatory life sentences.Read More

Jay Inslee To Pardon Washington Marijuana Convictions Dating Back To 1998

By Paige Browning January 4, 2019

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee declared a third special session on Wednesday and said it was time to ''crack the whip'' on lawmakers to get a budget deal and avoid a July 1 government shutdown. AUSTIN JENKINS / NORTHWEST NEWS NETWORK

Governor Jay Inslee will pardon people under his new Marijuana Justice Initiative. People convicted of minor marijuana possession in Washington can now have their record cleared.Read More

Justice Department Expands Assistance To Tribal Police, Calling It ‘Right Thing To Do’

By NPR News October 22, 2018

Navajo Nation police Lt. Clifton Smith's department is among those with access to national anti-crime databases. Attorney General Jeff Sessions is expanding that program. CREDIT: Felicia Fonseca/AP

The program covers a number of real-world situations: assisting with the registration of sex offenders; identifying human remains; locating endangered and missing people; arming tribal law enforcement with information about people they encounter in traffic stops; and conducting background checks to vet foster parents.Read More

Washington State Supreme Court Strikes Down Death Penalty

By NWPB News October 11, 2018

The Washington state Supreme Court struck down the state’s death penalty Thursday, Oct. 11, and converted all death sentences to life in prison.Read More

Legal Marijuana Means Huge Drop In Washington Felony Convictions

By Austin Jenkins July 24, 2018

CREDIT: KATHEIRNE HITT / FLICKR - TINYURL.COM/MOBC9ZF

The legalization of recreational marijuana in Washington state in 2012 resulted in a dramatic decrease in the number of people sentenced for marijuana-related felonies, according to an analysis conducted for public radio by the Washington State Caseload Forecast Council.Read More

With Billions At Stake, Supreme Court Rules States May Tax Online Retailers

By NPR News June 21, 2018

Home goods seller Wayfair and other e-commerce companies had attempted to challenge a South Dakota law that levies taxes on purchases made through certain online retailers. CREDIT: JENNY KANE/AP

The Supreme Court ruled June 21 that states can collect state sales taxes from online retailers on consumer purchases. The decision overruled a decades-old precedent that had protected out-of-state sellers from being required to collect such taxes.Read More