Law

Op-Ed: Restoring Seattle’s Community Court Is Good, Pre-Filing Diversion Even Better 

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.
A mother and her two sons walk on a pedestrian path between a row of townhomes. She wears a headscarf and her older son wears a Lebron James jersey. The younger is on a skateboard.

License Plate Readers Proliferate in Washington, Bringing Concerns over ICE Overreach

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.

Op-Ed: ICE Tactical Units Are Preparing to Deploy in Seattle — We Must Fight...

We need to be absolutely clear: we will not allow Seattle to become a testing ground for authoritarianism. And resistance starts with using every legal tool at our disposal. The Seattle City Attorney’s office has a central role to play in defending our neighbors and our fundamental rights. Here’s how:

Op-Ed: Seattle Council’s Ethics Overhaul Would Be Neither Ethical nor Democratic

Seattle Councilmember Cathy Moore announced Friday that she is withdrawing her proposal weakening the City’s ethics rules, pledging to fine-tune the idea and bring it back. Collin Thrower lays out why she is on the wrong track.
In a night time image, dark police officer silhouettes emerge from an armored truck amidst a backdrop of a cloud of tear gas.

OPA, Seattle Police Violated Medical Privacy of Protester, Unearthed Investigation Reveals

Important questions remain despite a newly unearthed report, including how police first obtained sensitive medical information, why the City’s inspector general continued to be directly involved, despite recusal due to conflict of interest, and why the Mayor’s Office opted to hire and accept the findings of another external consultant, following the original investigation’s sustained allegations.
A ten story building with a pinkish purple sunset in the background

Op-Ed: Inquest into Faletogo Killing Highlights Seattle Police Accountability Failures

A 2018 traffic stop ended with a horrific Seattle police killing of Iosia Faletogo deemed "lawful and proper." Six years later a jury saw it differently, but the inquest also highlighted the need for stronger police accountability mechanisms.
Seattle City Hall sign and steps.

Op-Ed: Seattle Should Ban Employers from Discriminating Against Unhoused Job Applicants

In the middle of a homelessness crisis, Seattle is still allowing employers to reject qualified job applicants simply because they don’t have a permanent address. That’s discrimination, and the Seattle City Attorney should lead the way in banning the practice.

Long-time Seattle Inspector General Illegally Used Public Funds for Private Parking Spot

Tasked with upholding Seattle police accountability, Inspector General Lisa Judge appears to have broken the rules herself to get free parking on the public dime for at least six years — or possibly more. The apparent cost to taxpayers has been more than $29,000 over seven years.