Category Archives: Uncategorized

OLYMPIA — An estimated 100,000 Washington residents will have their driver’s licenses reinstated and people will no longer be penalized for driving while poor as a result of a judge’s order signed today requiring the Department of Licensing (DOL) to stop suspending licenses for unpaid traffic tickets for non-criminal moving violations. The order comes inContinue reading “Judge Orders Halt to Driver’s License Suspensions for Unpaid Tickets”

ACLU Washington — On Friday, April 30, Thurston County Superior Court Judge Mary Sue Wilson ruled that Washington’s law authorizing automatic and mandatory license suspensions for unpaid moving violation fines without meaningful evaluation of the driver’s ability to pay the fine violates the state constitution’s right to due process. The ACLU of Washington filed aContinue reading “Thurston County Superior Court Rules Washington Driver’s License Suspension Law Unconstitutional”

In a narrow 5-4 ruling, the Washington State Supreme Court recently declared the state’s felony drug possession law unconstitutional because it did not require proof that the accused knowingly or intentionally possessed the drugs. This week on the Compass, we talk with Jefferson County Prosecutor James Kennedy and then with Public Defender Richard Davies aboutContinue reading “KPTZ Compass: Discussing State v. Blake with public defender Richard Davies and prosecutor James Kennedy”

Just one day after the Washington State Supreme Court ruled that the state’s drug possession statute was unconstitutional, two State senators introduced Senate Bill 5468 , which would reinstate the law by adding the word “knowingly” to the statute. The ruling in the case, State v. Blake, decriminalizes the possession of controlled substances, after justices found the statute was unconstitutionalContinue reading “Oppose SB 5468, the uninspired “quick fix” to State v. Blake ruling”

From Seattle Times reporter Mike Reicher. A contentious bill that passed the state Senate could transform Washington’s police oversight agency from an anemic watchdog into a formidable instrument for police accountability. While other reform efforts in Olympia focus on high-profile police tactics, such as prohibiting chokeholds and neck restraints, this bill takes aim at aContinue reading “Washington state has never pulled an officer’s badge for excessive force. That may be changing.”

Possession of drugs is no longer a felony in Washington State, after the state Supreme Court found the VUCSA statute unconstitutional on Feb. 25. The ruling in the case, State v. Blake, decriminalizes the possession of controlled substances. Five justices said in the ruling the statute was unconstitutional because it doesn’t require prosecutors to prove that someone knowinglyContinue reading “‘These aren’t my pants’: WA Supreme Court rules charging drug possession unconstitutional”

AP News story from Feb. 16, 2021. BREMERTON, Wash. (AP) — Lawmakers in Washington state have proposed a measure that would prevent authorities from suspending a driver’s license when a person cannot pay or respond to a traffic ticket. The measure sponsored by Democratic state Sen. Emily Randall would eliminate the practice of suspending licensesContinue reading “Washington law would end license suspension for unpaid fines”

Kitsap Sun article by Austen Macalus Hundreds of thousands of Washington state drivers see their license suspended because they can’t pay a traffic ticket. Critics of the law call it “driving while poor.” State lawmakers are now looking to put an end to the practice with a proposal in the Legislature this session. The measure, SenateContinue reading “Bill backed by Bremerton state senator looks to end ‘driving while poor’ law”

Opinion piece by Gene B. Sperling from the New York Times. While controversial calls to “defund the police” have grabbed headlines, we urgently need to examine how we fund the police today. The increasing use of excessive fees, fines, and surcharges to fund parts of our criminal justice system is creating punitive debt traps for millions ofContinue reading “The New Debt Prisons”