Upholding the ban on same sex marriage is based on a personal moral judgment that cannot rationally be used to support state sponsored discrimination. It takes, however, an enlightened judge to recognize that truth.
Five members of the Washington Supreme Court did not do so. The question at the end of the day is whether five members of the United States Supreme court will recognize that truth.
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When an income tax initiative passed in the 1930s, the Washington Supreme Court struck it down saying it violated Washington State Constitution Article VII, Section I which provides, “All taxes shall be uniform upon the same class of property . . . . The word ‘property’ as used herein shall mean and include everything, whether [...]
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Last night, I stopped at 1531 Melrose Ave. (along the newly hopping block of Melrose between Pike and Pine where Sonic Boom opened) to pick up some food for dinner. Inconspicuous from the street, it’s a real urban marketplace in there.
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Yesterday, James Bopp, on behalf of Protect Marriage Washington, and Attorney General Rob McKenna, on behalf of the State of Washington, Washington Families Standing Together and the Washington Coalition for Open Government, argued before the United States Supreme Court over whether the release of names and addresses of referendum signature gatherers is consistent with the [...]
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On Wednesday, the proponents of Referendum 71 ( the unsuccessful effort to repeal last year’s everything but marriage domestic partnership law) will face off against the State of Washington in the United States Supreme Court to determine whether the First Amendment protects against the release of the identity of initiative/referendum petition signers under the Washington [...]
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Last night, I went to the Seattle Mariners’ home opener. The Mariners’ defense lived up to its billing. They’re a joy to watch—great defensive stops, timely double plays—and Ryan Rowland-Smith, the Mariners pitcher and a legitimate major league starter, mowed down the A’s in the top of the first 1-2-3 on ten pitches. Sadly, though [...]
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•Yesterday, our State Supreme Court concluded that the Governor could completely ignore the law without consequence. The case centered on an arbitration resolution to a collective bargaining dispute between the State and the labor union, SEIU, representing 25,000 providers of in-home personal care services to Medicaid-eligible clients. State law required that if collective bargaining over [...]
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At a Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI) panel last night titled “In the Balance: Terrorism, Security and Civil Liberties,” three participants spoke eloquently about the need to preserve the constitutional rights of terrorism defendants. Faced with the provocative question, “What would you do if Attorney General Eric Holder decided that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the [...]
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As we reported on Monday, Attorney General Rob McKenna announced today that he was “joining a multi-state lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the recently-approved federal health care measure, once it is signed into law.” McKenna goes on to state: “I believe this new federal health care measure unconstitutionally imposes new requirements on our state and [...]
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Last night, my partner and I ate a wonderful winemaker’s dinner with Anna Schafer of aMaurice Cellars at the Volunteer Park Café on Capitol Hill—our first dinner at one of our favorite haunts for breakfast and lunch. Anna Schafer is a young, successful winemaker who happens to also be a joy to chat with. Her [...]
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Earlier this week, the United States Supreme Court heard argument in a case—McDonald v. Chicago—about whether the Second Amendment’s right to bear arms extends to the states and local governments. Specifically, the McDonald case will decide whether Chicago’s ban on handguns violates the Second Amendment right to bear arms. The Court will issue its decision [...]
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[Editor's Note: Commenter Insideago wanted to hear LawNerd's take on Erica's story about public disclosure law and text messages. And so, here's LawNerd.] The Public Records Act (PRA) was originally enacted by public initiative in 1973, long before personal computers were a twinkle in our eyes. Now, almost all public records are created and kept [...]
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Josh posted about the U.S. Supreme Court decision regarding corporate expenditures and political campaigns when it came down few weeks ago. However, I’m the LawNerd around here. And I actually read all 186 pages of the decision—my excuse for this late, but more in-depth post on the historic decision. Citizens United v. FEC, which struck [...]
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The United States Supreme Court last week granted certiorari (the legal term for the Supreme Court agreeing to accept an appeal for review) to review the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decision that the names and addresses of Referendum 71 signatories could be released under the Washington Public Records Act consistent with the First Amendment. [...]
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The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled yesterday that the State of Washington’s Constitutional disqualification of convicted felons from voting, who have not had their civil rights restored, violates the federalVoting Rights Act. In a 2-1 decision, the Court found that voting rights in Washington were being denied as a result of racial discrimination within [...]
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PubliColaTV: The Progressive Take on the 2010 Ballot Measures - August 30, 2010
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PubliColaTV: Freddie Mac. What Would Sen. Murray Do? - August 18, 2010
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PubliCola TV: Joe Fitzgibbon - August 18, 2010
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Must See PubliColaTV: “They Don’t Know Frank Chopp.” - August 12, 2010
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PubliColaTV: Sen. Cantwell on Status of Her Cap and Dividend Proposal - August 10, 2010
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