Yearly Archives: 2024
Safety or Revenue at Issue?
Governor Inslee recently signed a new law that makes it more likely that anyone who runs a red light, speeds through a work zone or fails to stop at a crosswalk will be ticketed. The new law allows for cities and counties to deploy traffic cameras in more places so as to crack down on… Continue Reading »
Is Throwing Away Mail from A Previous Tenant A Crime?
Receiving mail from a previous tenant is annoying, especially if you don’t know the former tenant. If you know who the person is, you can write a forwarding address on the envelope and send it on. What should you do if you don’t know who the person is? Can you open another person’s mail? Can… Continue Reading »
Will New Bill Slow Theft?
Catalytic converter theft has led to new bill being passed to thwart the problem. House Bill 2153 makes trafficking catalytic converters a Class C felony and requires new licenses and increased record keeping for scrap metal dealers and vehicle wreckers. No one can sell a catalytic converter without a driver’s license or a state issued… Continue Reading »
What State Allows Drug Possession?
Oregon’s bipartisan Joint Committee on Addiction and Community Safety Response met on the last Tuesday in February to vote on a bill simply known as House Bill 4002. The committee voted 10-2 in favor of the bill, with all of the committee members broadly aligned on the problem HB4002 sought to fix, if not the… Continue Reading »
Pretext Stops lead to 1.4 Million Settlement
Earlier this month it was reported that the Washington State Patrol agreed to pay $1.4 million to settle a federal lawsuit accusing one of its troopers of targeting people of color and immigrants by unlawfully stopping them via pre-text stops. The plaintiffs were all arrested and booked into jail on suspicion of impaired driving. All… Continue Reading »
What is Prosecutorial Discretion?
In criminal law, prosecutors hold a crucial power known as “prosecutorial discretion.” It allows them the authority to make important decisions at different stages of a case, such as: 1) Determining whether to press charges, 2) Negotiating plea bargains, 3) Accepting guilty pleas. Prosecutorial discretion refers to a prosecutor’s authority in a criminal case. This authority includes: 1)… Continue Reading »
Can speed alone amount to Reckless Driving?
Ever wonder if you can get charged with a crime for simply speeding? Well, the answer is under certain circumstances, yes. Case in point, a youngster was caught going a whopping 161 mph on Interstate 82 this past Monday. The man was spotted and tracked by a WSP aerial patrol unit near Locust Grove Road. … Continue Reading »
Have My Rights Been Violated?
Every defendant charged with a crime has Constitutional rights. The government cannot infringe on these rights. Federal law requires the government to uphold a suspect’s Constitutional rights throughout a criminal case, including misdemeanor and felony cases. Some of the rights a defendant may have include: 1) Search and seizure rights, 2) Miranda rights (i.e right… Continue Reading »
Election Worker Protection?
Recently our Washington Senators voted to make harassment of election workers a felony. This happened three months after four county election officers received envelopes containing s suspicious powdery substance and right before the big presidential election between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, which is sure to cause a great deal of consternation around the state.… Continue Reading »
Can I Spank My Kid?
Hitting your children and corporal punishment more generally have been a contentious topic for some time, and norms vary based on culture. The morality and effectiveness of the practice is a sensitive topic for many parents in the United States. But the question that is often times asked is, if it is legal? As with… Continue Reading »
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