Tag Archives: Domestic Violence; Seattle Criminal Attorney; Seattle Criminal Lawyer

Untraceable “ghost guns” are illegal again. Why? Well because the U.S. Supreme Court granted a stay last week of a district court judgment that had invalidated the Biden Administration’s ban on untraceable firearms. The stay temporarily gave the rule new life, but the question is for how long because the legal challenge continues.What are “Ghost… Continue Reading »

House Bill 1715 is moving forward, as it has now passed out of committee in the Washington State House of Representatives. The bill is aimed at enhancing existing services and protections for domestic violence victims. The main components of the bill include starting up a lethality assessment hotline, strengthening civil protection orders, expanding GPS monitoring… Continue Reading »

House Bill 1564, a bill that would prohibit the sale of over-the-counter sexual assault evidence kits, is being considered by Washington lawmakers. This is so because advocates, nurses, prosecuting attorneys and police alike have voiced concerns that the kits tend to offer false hope to victims of sexual assault, which in turn impedes criminal investigations… Continue Reading »

In Washington state, virtually any criminal act against a ‘family/household member’ against another ‘family or household member’ is considered ‘domestic violence‘. Five primary types of abusive behaviors include (1) Physical violence; (2) Emotional abuse; (3) Economic control; (4) Neglect, and (5) Sexual assault. Washington law requires that any law enforcement agent (‘LEA‘) who responds to… Continue Reading »

Domestic Violence victim’s rights have been slightly expanded in Washington State, as Governor Inslee signed into law a bill (SB 5612) that gives domestic violence victims, and/or their survivors, the right to make a statement during sentencing hearings. The new law goes into effect on June 9, 2022. Previously the right to speak at sentencing… Continue Reading »

Domestic violence can come in many forms. The Washington State Supreme Court confirmed that last week when it unanimously ruled that animal abuse can, and does, constitute domestic violence. The high court confirmed that a Tukwila man did, in fact, commit domestic violence when he savagely beat his girlfriend’s dog to death. Ultimately, the justices… Continue Reading »

The City of Seattle has elected to offer hiring bonuses to prospective employees of the Seattle Police Department and 911 dispatch in order to address staffing shortage created by those employees choosing to not get vaccinated. How will the shortage and interim coverage period impact citizen safety in Seattle? That is a good question. There… Continue Reading »

Recently the Office of the City Auditor (‘OCA‘) reviewed the Seattle Municipal Court (‘SMC‘) Probation Department, which was developed to be a post-adjudication jail alternative. The probation department consists of counselors that are paired with clients (previously identified as ‘defendants’) in an effort to help them navigate their court ordered obligations. What came of OCA’s… Continue Reading »

Generally, when a defendant has been prosecuted for a crime, she has the Sixth Amendment right to confront witnesses who testify against her. In other words, a Defendant gets to question the prosecution’s witnesses on the stand, before the trier of fact – the jury. The idea is to ensure that the trier of fact… Continue Reading »

Word to the wise, even if you are seemingly acting in self-defense, you may initially be facing criminal charges. This is so because often after a violent incident a full investigation must take place before a prosecutor decides whether the standards outlined in RCW 13.40.077(2) & (4) have been met, or not. A perfect example… Continue Reading »