Law

Mayor Bruce Harrell recently released two executive orders seeking to respond to President Donald Trump’s aggressive moves to increase local immigration enforcement and illegally send in the National Guard. However, his plan is light on details and lacks leverage to get federal cooperation. Meanwhile, the police guild president vowed support for Trump’s plan.

King County Executive Shannon Braddock has proposed a series of changes to one of the county’s pre-filing youth diversion programs, currently called Restorative Community Pathways, replacing the community-led program with a county-led program with a slashed budget.

While the Seattle Police Officers Guild scored a big raise and new benefits, the new labor contract negotiated by Mayor Bruce Harrell will continue to hamper the City’s new civilian crisis response department and its police accountability agencies.

Mayor Bruce Harrell’s office appears to have deleted or is withholding a contract used to make a crucial legal decision regarding the Mayor’s newly-minted Chief of Staff, Andrew Myerberg. Harrell’s office appears to be violating the terms of the settlement agreement reached with the Seattle Times in 2023 over the widespread deletion of text messages in the Durkan administration.

On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge James Robart granted the motion to terminate Seattle’s consent decree, ending a saga of federal police oversight that began 15 years ago. Community safety advocates say issues remain at the Seattle Police Department and more reforms are needed.

Advocates warn Seattle Inspector General Lisa Judge is jeopardizing public trust in the city’s police accountability system, as her office obscures records. The office also withheld what appears to be important evidence in a high-profile case involving former SPD chief Adrian Diaz.

Reviving community court isn’t a simple fix for Seattle’s criminal legal system — pre-filing diversion programs are more effective, cost less money, and avoid the harmful consequences of prosecution. Here's one Seattle City Attorney candidate's plan.

Automatic license plate readers have proliferated across 81 cities in Washington State, and audits have shown federal agents and anti-abortion states are using Washington plate data to hunt abortion seekers, immigrants, and refugees. This is despite state sanctuary laws intended to shield such vulnerable populations.