Washington Case Commentaries

Protecting Abuse Survivors' Privacy: Washington Supreme Court's Decision on Public Records Act Exemptions

Date: Aug 25, 2023

Protecting Abuse Survivors' Privacy: Washington Supreme Court's Decision on Public Records Act Exemptions Introduction In the landmark case of Washington Federation of State Employees, Council 28, et...

Supreme Court of Washington Establishes Limits on Community Custody Conditions in Personal Restraint of Peter Daniel Ansell

Date: Aug 11, 2023

Supreme Court of Washington Establishes Limits on Community Custody Conditions in Personal Restraint of Peter Daniel Ansell Introduction In the landmark case In the Matter of the Personal Restraint...

Washington Supreme Court Affirms Inclusive Interpretation of WVRA, Upholding Equal Voting Rights for All Voters

Date: Jun 16, 2023

Washington Supreme Court Affirms Inclusive Interpretation of WVRA, Upholding Equal Voting Rights for All Voters Introduction In the landmark case Palestine Port, Brandon Paul Morales, Jose Trinidad...

Incontestability in Life Insurance: Washington Supreme Court Establishes Void Ab Initio Exceptions

Date: May 12, 2023

Incontestability in Life Insurance: Washington Supreme Court Establishes Void Ab Initio Exceptions Introduction In the landmark case of New York Life Insurance Company v. Simon R. Mitchell, the...

Washington Supreme Court Establishes Clear Guidelines for Manifest Injustice Dispositions in Juvenile Cases

Date: Feb 17, 2023

Washington Supreme Court Establishes Clear Guidelines for Manifest Injustice Dispositions in Juvenile Cases Introduction In the landmark case of State of Washington v. J.W.M. (524 P.3d 596, 2023),...

Washington Supreme Court Limits Judicial Discretion in Indeterminate Sentencing under Houston-Sconiers

Date: Dec 2, 2022

Washington Supreme Court Limits Judicial Discretion in Indeterminate Sentencing under Houston-Sconiers Introduction The case of In the Matter of the Personal Restraint of: Derrius Forcha-Williams,...

Henderson v. Thompson: Establishing Rigorous Standards Against Racial Bias in Civil Trials

Date: Oct 21, 2022

Henderson v. Thompson: Establishing Rigorous Standards Against Racial Bias in Civil Trials Introduction Henderson v. Thompson, 518 P.3d 1011 (2022), adjudicated by the Supreme Court of Washington,...

Strengthening GR 37: Washington Supreme Court Reinforces Protections Against Racial Bias in Jury Selection in State v. Tesfasilasye

Date: Oct 7, 2022

Strengthening GR 37: Washington Supreme Court Reinforces Protections Against Racial Bias in Jury Selection in State v. Tesfasilasye Introduction The case of State of Washington v. Amanuel...

Affirmation of Virus Exclusion: Direct Physical Loss Requirement in Business Income Insurance

Date: Aug 26, 2022

Affirmation of Virus Exclusion: Direct Physical Loss Requirement in Business Income Insurance Introduction The case of Hill and Stout, PLLC v. Mutual of Enumclaw Insurance Company addresses the...

No Exception to Reasonable Efforts in Child Dependency Cases

Date: Aug 12, 2022

No Exception to Reasonable Efforts in Child Dependency Cases Introduction In the Matter of the Dependency of L.C.S., a minor. (514 P.3d 644) adjudicated by the Supreme Court of Washington on August...

Finality of Sentences Reinforced: Supreme Court of Washington Affirms Time-Barred PRP in In re Kennedy

Date: Jul 29, 2022

Finality of Sentences Reinforced: Supreme Court of Washington Affirms Time-Barred PRP in In re Kennedy Introduction The Supreme Court of Washington rendered a significant decision on July 28, 2022,...

Automatic Reversal for Race-Based Prosecutorial Misconduct in Jury Selection

Date: Jul 1, 2022

Automatic Reversal for Race-Based Prosecutorial Misconduct in Jury Selection Introduction The case of State of Washington v. Joseph Mario Zamora (512 P.3d 512) adjudicated by the Supreme Court of...

Clarifying Entrapment Standards: State v. Arbogast Establishes Prima Facie Requirements

Date: Apr 1, 2022

Clarifying Entrapment Standards: State v. Arbogast Establishes Prima Facie Requirements Introduction In the landmark case of State of Washington v. Douglas Virgil Arbogast, the Supreme Court of...

Washington Supreme Court Upholds Legislative Amendments to RCW 49.60.227: Comprehensive Procedure for Striking Racially Restrictive Covenants

Date: Apr 1, 2022

Washington Supreme Court Upholds Legislative Amendments to RCW 49.60.227: Comprehensive Procedure for Striking Racially Restrictive Covenants Introduction The Supreme Court of Washington recently...

Abandonment of the "Lustful Disposition" Doctrine in Washington Supreme Court Ruling

Date: Mar 11, 2022

Abandonment of the "Lustful Disposition" Doctrine in Washington Supreme Court Ruling Introduction In the landmark case of State of Washington v. Patrick J. Crossguns, Sr. (199 Wash. 2d 282, 2022),...

State of Washington v. Jennings: Clarifying Sixth Amendment Defense Rights and Evidentiary Standards

Date: Feb 4, 2022

State of Washington v. Jennings: Clarifying Sixth Amendment Defense Rights and Evidentiary Standards Introduction State of Washington v. Justin Nicholas Jennings (502 P.3d 1255) is a pivotal case...

Washington Supreme Court Clarifies Knowledge Requirement in Bail Jumping Statute

Date: Jan 28, 2022

Washington Supreme Court Clarifies Knowledge Requirement in Bail Jumping Statute Introduction In the landmark case State of Washington v. Zachary P. Bergstrom (502 P.3d 837, 2022), the Washington...

Extension of Consent-Based Search Authority in Digital Communications Established in State v. Bowman

Date: Nov 11, 2021

Extension of Consent-Based Search Authority in Digital Communications Established in State v. Bowman Introduction The landmark case State of Washington v. Reece William Bowman (498 P.3d 478, 2021)...

State of Washington v. Molnar: Upholding Plea Agreement Integrity and Enforcing Collateral Attack Timeliness

Date: Oct 29, 2021

State of Washington v. Molnar: Upholding Plea Agreement Integrity and Enforcing Collateral Attack Timeliness Court: Supreme Court of Washington Date: October 28, 2021 Introduction The case of State...

Washington Supreme Court Enhances Protections Against Cruel Confinement under State Constitution

Date: Oct 8, 2021

Washington Supreme Court Enhances Protections Against Cruel Confinement under State Constitution Introduction The Supreme Court of Washington delivered a landmark decision on October 7, 2021, in the...