Washington

City attorney and public defender call for judge to step down after accusations of partiality

Updated: In an unusual show of solidarity, Seattle’s top prosecutor and public defender are asking the presiding municipal court judge to change his behavior and step down.

Apr 29, 2019 7:30 AM CDT

Parental rights of prisoners get a shield of protection

The state of Indiana is on the verge of enacting a law that will make sure parents in prison don’t have their parental rights terminated because of their imprisonment alone, an issue the Marshall Project first reported on in December.

Apr 26, 2019 3:24 PM CDT

Judge arrested for alleged courthouse sex assault; women adopted buddy-system safety plan

A judge in Washington was arrested at the courthouse Wednesday and charged with second-degree rape for the alleged sexual assault of a courthouse employee. Judge Scott Gallina of Asotin County was also charged with fourth-degree assault with sexual motivation and indecent liberties, according to a press release by Washington’s attorney…

Apr 12, 2019 1:22 PM CDT

Plaintiffs seeking more school funding are using states’ own performance requirements to win

Parents and school districts have been suing over school funding, using state-mandated performance standards to argue that states aren’t living up to their end of the bargain—and they’re winning.

Apr 1, 2019 1:40 AM CDT

Boeing’s legal troubles over airplane grounding could just be taking off

Nearly three dozen lawsuits have been filed against Boeing since its 737 Max 8 aircraft operated by Lion Air crashed in Indonesia on Oct. 29, killing all 189 people aboard. Now that an Ethiopian Air flight in a 737 Max 8 crashed in Ethiopia on March 10 and killed 157…

Mar 14, 2019 2:53 PM CDT

Judge used expletives and said defendant was ‘just a criminal,’ meriting new sentence, court says

A drug court defendant in Washington state is entitled to a new sentencing hearing because the judge showed “personal animosity,” a state appeals court has ruled. Snohomish County Superior Court Judge Joe Wilson used expletives as he tried to coax the defendant to comply with drug treatment after an arrest…

Feb 28, 2019 7:00 AM CST

Special veterans courts see little money, little demand

Eric Gonzalez says he doesn’t remember getting pulled over, nor does he remember evading his arrest in Fullerton, California. The only thing he knows is that he woke up very hungover and faced up to nine years in prison for assaulting a police officer, along with five other charges.

Feb 22, 2019 3:00 PM CST

How the Americans with Disabilities Act could change the way the nation’s jails and prisons treat addiction

Before Geoffrey Pesce got on methadone, his addiction to heroin and oxycodone nearly destroyed him: He lost his home, his job, custody of his son—and his driver’s license. So even after he began to rebuild his life, Pesce relied on his parents to drive him to a methadone clinic for his daily dose. One day last July, his mother was unexpectedly unavailable, and desperate not to relapse, he drove himself.

Feb 8, 2019 6:30 AM CST

County judge spots moving courtroom camera, finds sheriff zooming in on defense papers

A judge was alarmed Friday when a camera above the jury box in a San Juan County, Washington, courtroom began panning, tilting and zooming in on the jury box and counsel tables. Superior Court Judge Kathryn Loring noticed the movement of the normally stationary camera from a computer monitor near…

Feb 7, 2019 10:17 AM CST

Lawyer gets prison time for shooting into another lawyer’s office

A lawyer who practiced law in Portland, Oregon, was sentenced to 18 months in prison on Wednesday for firing shots into the office of another lawyer. The lawyer, Erik Graeff, was sentenced after pleading guilty in October to unlawful use of a weapon and recklessly endangering another person, report the…

Jan 25, 2019 9:32 AM CST

One way to deal with cops who lie? Blacklist them, some DAs say

In the racially divided city of St. Louis, the chief prosecutor has embraced a controversial tool to hold police accountable: blacklisting cops who she says are too untrustworthy to testify in court.

Jan 25, 2019 7:55 AM CST

Ballot measures give felons the right to vote, overturn Jim Crow-era jury law and legalize marijuana

Beyond the fight for Congress, voters across the country were presented with major criminal justice reform initiatives on Tuesday's ballot.

Nov 7, 2018 9:33 AM CST

As judges rule for sanctuary cities, Chicago sues Sessions for blocking new public safety grants

Litigation over President Donald Trump's order restricting federal grants to sanctuary cities continues, despite several rulings favoring the cities and other jurisdictions that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

Oct 25, 2018 12:10 PM CDT

See the video: Judge chases fleeing inmates, catches one before he escapes building

A judge in Washington state isn’t afraid to get involved when someone in his courtroom misbehaves.

Oct 24, 2018 3:32 PM CDT

Former state bar president is charged with stealing $16K from her former law firms and bar

Corrected: The former president of the Washington State Bar Association has been charged with stealing about $16,000 from the bar and her two former Spokane-area law firms. Robin Haynes, 40, was charged last week with theft and identity theft, report Law.com, NBC Right Now and the Spokesman-Review in a story…

Oct 22, 2018 11:21 AM CDT