Person

Judge Langley

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Jan 14, 1893Can Creditors Seize Property Held by an Assignee?A local court ruling limits the ability of mortgagees to foreclose while a property is under the control of an assigned administrator.Seattle, WA
Jan 24, 1893The Clerk Who Wasn't Invited to the ElectionA judicial showdown in a bizarre constitutional struggle over whether an election for county clerk was actually legal.Seattle, WA
Feb 1, 1893The Divorce Wrangle That Nearly Jailed a Seattle StatesmanJohn Considine avoids six weeks in the county jail after posting a hefty bond in a high-stakes divorce contempt case.Seattle, WA
Feb 14, 1893Seven Lots, Three Judges, and a Railroad's Sky-High BillWith jurors suspected of being bribed, three judges took over the Great Northern condemnation case—and the valuations for a few lots near King Street swung wildly.Seattle, WA
Feb 26, 1893Judge Rebukes Police for Secret Dungeon MethodsA citizen is released after being held incommunicado for days, sparking a public outcry over lawless police tactics.Pioneer Square, Seattle, WA
Mar 1, 1893The Man the Police Tried to Make DisappearA citizen detained for three days without a warrant or charge fights back against the Chief of Police.Seattle, WA
Mar 4, 1893The Superior Court Grants Five Divorces in a Single DayJudge Langley dissolves five marriages in Seattle, citing abandonment, non-support, and physical abuse as the primary grounds for relief.Superior Court of Washington for King County, Seattle, WA
Mar 7, 1893The Price of a Madison Street RobberyA young man is sentenced to prison after holding up a bystander at knifepoint.Madison Street, Seattle, WA
Mar 30, 1893The Troubled Life of a 17-Year-OldA Seattle teenager with a history of employment instability and violent outbursts is committed to the Steilacoom asylum.134 Stewart Street, Seattle, WA
Apr 15, 1893The Fight for Smith’s Cove Sand SpitA judge dismisses a suit against the Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern Railroad, cementing its claim to the waterfront land at Smith’s Cove.Seattle, WA
Apr 22, 1893A Stovepipe and a DivorceA domestic dispute involving a violent husband and a faulty stovepipe leads to a divorce decree in Judge Langley's court.Symphony, Seattle, WA
May 3, 1893The Mayor's Attempt to Purge the Board of Public WorksA political power struggle plays out in court as the Mayor attempts to remove Republican board members under the guise of ethical violations.Seattle, WA
May 6, 1893The Custody Battle for Little AnnaAn aunt and her ex-convict father fight for control of a young girl in Superior Court.Seattle, WA
May 14, 1893Abandoned and Destitute, a Migrant Wife Sues for MaintenanceA Seattle tailor's wife, recently arrived from Russia, petitions the court to freeze her husband's bank assets after he refuses to support her and their child.Seattle, WA
Jun 30, 1893Laborers Sue for Wages in Commercial Garden DisputeTen Italian immigrant gardeners have moved to seize a truck and produce from their employer, claiming they were never paid for their labor.Seattle, WA
Jul 11, 1893The Price of a DivorceAfter abandoning her marriage to live with another man, Phoebe Bovee loses her claim to their shared property in court.Seattle, WA
Jul 11, 1893The Mayor's Power Play FailsA judge rules that Seattle's Mayor overstepped in his attempt to purge the Board of Public Works for political gain.Seattle, WA
Jul 29, 1893A Mental Health Crisis Near KentA woman suffering from severe mental illness is detained by authorities after a crisis at a local hotel.Kent, WA
Aug 29, 1893The Child of ContentionA twelve-year-old girl is caught in a legal tug-of-war between her struggling mother and the House of the Good Shepherd.King County Courthouse, Seattle, WA
Aug 30, 1893The Struggle for Maggie McGeeA court ruling denies parents custody of their daughter, keeping her in the care of the Sisters of Charity due to allegations of domestic abuse and neglect.Seattle, WA
Sep 1, 1893A Mother's StruggleA judge moves to intervene in the life of a 15-year-old youth whose mother can no longer manage him.Seattle, WA
Sep 30, 1893The Teen Bride and the Courtroom CageA teenage girl is held in the House of the Good Shepherd to prevent her from returning to her husband, despite her desperate pleas to the judge.Seattle, WA
Oct 13, 1893The Unfinished StreetProperty owners battle the city over a tax assessment for a street that was never built.12th Ave South, Seattle, WA
Oct 21, 1893The Great Seattle Tax FightA landmark legal challenge forces the courts to decide if Seattle residents must pay county road levies while simultaneously funding their own city streets.Seattle, WA
Nov 1, 1893City Hall Corruption and the Great Bail ReductionA dramatic day in court sees prominent figures accused in a city treasury scandal secure reduced bonds as the machinery of municipal justice grinds on.King County Courthouse, Seattle, WA
Nov 2, 1893The Broadway Grade GriftA contractor runs off without paying his workers, leaving the city in a bind over who gets the final payment.Yesler Avenue, Seattle, WA
Nov 15, 1893The Sad Case of Eight-Year-Old AlbertA young boy, orphaned and abandoned by his father, is sentenced to reform school for petty theft.Seattle, WA
Nov 18, 1893The Custody Battle of the Silver State HouseAfter a failed divorce, a Seattle husband wins custody of his daughters, alleging his wife was 'masquerading' in male attire and neglecting their home.Seattle, WA
Dec 2, 1893The Struggle for Custody of Hazel BuellA young girl rescued from a city 'resort' becomes the subject of a custody battle between her biological father and a teacher.Seattle, WA
Dec 3, 1893The Right to Keep Your Home After a Tax SaleJudge Langley rules on a pivotal case challenging whether the city can cut off a homeowner's redemption rights after property is sold for back taxes.Seattle, WA
Dec 5, 1893Battle Over the Poorhouse BudgetTaxpayers sue to halt the construction of a new county almshouse, challenging whether public funds can be spent without a direct vote.Seattle, WA
Dec 16, 1893The Almshouse ControversyWhile the court upholds the county commissioners' right to build an almshouse, accusations of fraud and poor construction against the architect and contractor remain unresolved.Seattle, WA
Dec 20, 1893The Battle for the City's Official VoiceSeattle's Board of Aldermen spark controversy as they award city printing contracts amid allegations of collusion and financial favoritism.Seattle, WA
Jan 4, 1894The Delusions of Martin KropA young laborer's unrequited obsession with a stranger leads to his commitment at the insane asylum.Seattle, WA
Jan 10, 1894The Fight for Foreign-Born SuffrageA legal challenge emerges as the city clerk denies voter registration to naturalized citizens lacking paper proof.Seattle, WA
Jan 12, 1894The Grading Debt That Never WasA judge rules that Seattle property owners don't have to pay for street improvements that the city never actually finished.Seattle, WA
Jan 13, 1894The Right to Vote Should Not Be an Obstacle CourseA Seattle judge strikes down a restrictive registration law that forced foreign-born citizens to constantly prove their naturalization status.Seattle, WA
Jan 18, 1894A Plea for Protection and IndependenceAfter years of alleged abuse and instability, Lucy Stewart seeks a divorce and a restraining order against her husband.1007 Harrison St, Seattle, WA
Jan 23, 1894The Unraveling of the Washington Savings BankFacing a stagnant real estate market and steady deposit withdrawals, a downtown bank opts for an orderly closure to protect its depositors.Seattle, WA
Jan 30, 1894A Corporate Squeeze in SeattleA stockholder sues to place a local railway and elevator company under receivership, alleging a conspiracy to freeze out investors.Seattle, WA
Feb 3, 1894City Hall Power Struggle: Mayor Ronald Wins Right to Oust AppointeesA court ruling confirms that the Mayor of Seattle holds sole authority to remove city officials, signaling an end to a high-profile challenge.Seattle, WA
Feb 14, 1894The Waterfront Tug-of-War (Feb 14, 1894)A legal stalemate halts railroad track expansion as property owners fight for their land rights.Seattle, WA
Feb 14, 1894The Piano, the Pool Table and the Bar: A Roadhouse Wife's Last HandJulia Lillis says her husband has gambled and drunk away the takings at the Hyde Park House, the resort he keeps by the South Seattle race track, and now means to sell the furniture out from under her. A judge froze it first.Seattle, WA
Feb 15, 1894Railroad War on the WaterfrontA bitter legal battle over a disputed right-of-way erupts into accusations of perjury in court as railroad crews prepare to tear down a local businessman’s building.Seattle, WA
Feb 16, 1894The King of California: An Institutionalized DreamerA laborer from Enumclaw with grand delusions of immense wealth and heavenly status is committed to the asylum at Steilacoom.Enumclaw, WA
Feb 17, 1894The Last-Second Injunction That Saved a Seattle Building From the RailroadJudge Langley cleared the way for demolition, then a federal mortgage-holder's suit stopped the axes at the Colman block.Seattle, WA
Mar 2, 1894The Custody Battle of a 'Frisky' MotherAfter a husband wins custody of his two daughters via writ, the mother seeks a rehearing, sparking a public debate over moral character and marital unhappiness.Seattle, WA
Mar 8, 1894Ballard’s Ousted Councilman Refuses to Give Up His SeatThomas Winsor was removed for selling lumber to the city. He showed up at council with a lawyer, the mayor vetoed the removal, and the council overrode him. Now a judge will decide who sits.Seattle, WA
Mar 10, 1894A Mother Fights for Her Children—and the Court Hears How She Wore Men's Clothes to Save a Timber ClaimIn a Seattle habeas corpus hearing, Mrs. L. L. Shaffer battles her husband for custody of their two daughters as neighbors and her stepmother testify to her character.Seattle, WA
Mar 20, 1894The 'Rocky Mountain Hustler' in the City JailA teenager’s father attempts to use the courts to release his son, who was arrested for holding up a local grocer.Seattle, WA
Mar 20, 1894A Family Feud Erupts in CourtA dispute over a boy's wayward behavior reveals a fractured family and a grandmother's dramatic courtroom outburst.Seattle, WA
Mar 25, 1894A Machinist Committed to the AsylumA perfectly rational machinist is sent to Steilacoom despite his protests, leaving behind a wife and child.Seattle, WA
Mar 28, 1894The Slaughterhouse TragedyA young worker’s mental health decline is met with the blunt reality of institutionalization.Seattle, WA
Apr 10, 1894The Great Canal Scheme BlockedA judge strikes down a law that would have allowed private contractors to dig the Lake Washington canal and seize tide lands for profit.Lake Washington Canal, Seattle, WA
Apr 18, 1894The Receiver Cut Their Pay 2 Cents an Hour. A Judge Made Him Put It Back.When the Rainier Avenue Electric Railway's court-appointed receiver trimmed motormen's wages from 20 cents to 18 cents an hour, the crews — months behind on pay, with houses in Columbia City bought out of their own wages — took him to court and won.Seattle, WA
Apr 28, 1894The Sad Delusions of John WatsonA trainman found living in squalor is committed to Steilacoom Asylum after declaring himself the owner of Victoria’s townsite.Seattle, WA
Apr 29, 1894Freedom from a NightmareA woman testifies to years of physical abuse in the Gilman mines, leading to a swift divorce judgment.Gilman, Issaquah, WA
Jun 6, 1894Ousted Over an $18.90 Lumber Bill, a Councilman Gets His Seat BackBallard's council removed Thomas Winsor without a hearing — right after he accused the city treasurer of pocketing $1,058. A judge ruled the whole thing illegal and threw out his replacement.Ballard, Seattle, WA
Jun 14, 1894The Vicious Old Man of the JailAfter a history of petty crime and violence, a troubled elderly man is committed to the state asylum due to worsening mental illness caused by years of dissipation.Seattle, WA
Jul 4, 1894The Forged Deed of Law’s AdditionA legal battle over Seattle land titles leads to a rare court order impounding a suspicious document suspected of being forged in California.King County Courthouse, Seattle, WA
Jul 20, 1894100 Miners Take a Receiver to Court Over Cut Wages—and the Company StoreA petition filed in King County Superior Court says a coal company's receiver cut pay, forced miners to shop at his store, and fired a man who refused to back his candidate for police justice.Superior Court of Washington for King County, Seattle, WA
Jul 28, 1894200 Coal Miners Take Their Wage Cut to CourtWorkers at the Seattle Coal and Iron Company petition a judge to force the receiver to restore their old pay.Seattle, WA
Aug 14, 1894Queen Anne Families Went to Court to Fix a Crumbling SchoolhouseIn 1894, residents sued to freeze old school-fund warrants, arguing that 225 Queen Anne children were crammed into a dangerous wooden building.Queen Anne, Seattle, WA
Aug 15, 1894A Judge Freezes Seattle's $118,000 School-Building FundQueen Anne Hill residents win a temporary injunction barring the school board from spending 1894 tax money on anything but that year's warrants and new school buildings.Queen Anne Hill, Seattle, WA
Aug 16, 1894The Eccentric Prussian Who Vanished Near Green LakeJoseph Lingenau disappeared from Walla Walla addition with about $250 in his pocket, leaving behind a trail of odd behavior—and two sons he had sent to the orphans' home.Seattle, WA
Aug 30, 1894A Divorce Suit Exposes Brutality—and a Fight Over the HouseMary C. Fisher accused her husband of choking her and tearing her clothes in front of her daughter; she asked the court for a divorce, the house and all the property.Seattle, WA
Aug 31, 1894The Dam That Shut Down BallardFremont millers raised a timber barrier at Lake Union’s outlet. When Ballard’s mills lost their water, the fight went to court—after some talked of tearing it out by hand.Seattle, WA
Sep 8, 1894Midnight in the New York Block: A Creditor Catches a Stock ShuffleWilliam Harris watched from an alley as goods were moved between Rumpf's and Mayer's stores, then helped attach the stock before dawn.Seattle, WA
Sep 11, 1894The Mayor Fired Him; He Says the Charter Says OtherwiseEx-Police Commissioner E. C. Cheasty asks a judge to overturn Mayor Phelps’s removal, arguing City Hall ignored the charter and punished him for a political vote.Superior Court of Washington for King County, Seattle, WA
Sep 14, 1894The Midnight Watch Transfer That Split a Seattle CourtroomA judge dissolved an injunction against J.K. Basye & Co. but kept a receiver in place after a night-time removal of goods from Simon Rumpf's watch store.621 Second Avenue, Seattle, WA
Sep 15, 1894The Mayor's Power to Fire: Seattle's Removed Police Commissioners Fight for Their JobsJ. G. Niggle and E. G. Cheasty argue that Mayor Byron Phelps removed them without notice or hearing—and that the city charter requires cause, not whim.Superior Court of Washington for King County, Seattle, WA
Sep 18, 1894The Mayor Can Fire His Police Commissioners — But He Has to Give Them a Hearing FirstJudge Langley rules that Mayor Phelps had the power to remove Commissioners Cheasty and Niggle, but that he skipped the required notice and hearing. Now the hearing looks like a formality — with the mayor sitting as his own judge.Seattle, WA
Sep 18, 1894The Judge Sides With the Receiver: Gilman Miners Lose Their Wage PetitionJudge Langley dismissed the Gilman miners' petition to restore wages, ruling that the receiver—not the court—must first hear their grievances, and warning that a company store cannot be used to trap a worker's pay.Seattle, WA
Sep 18, 1894Seattle's Mayor Overreached: Judge Langley Voids the Police Commission FiringsThe mayor's summary removal of Police Commissioners Niggle and Cheasty was null and void, the court ruled, leaving Chief Rogers in charge and the city's police leadership in limbo.Seattle, WA
Sep 19, 1894The Merchant, the Night Transfer and the Missing ManEighteen creditors accuse Simon Rumpf of hiding goods, diamonds and a Lake Washington ranch as his Richmond Palace business collapses.620 Second Avenue, Seattle, WA
Sep 19, 1894The Mayor, the Commissioners and a City Hall TruceSeattle's police board waits for Mayor Phelps to make his next move after a judge sides with Commissioners Cheasty and Niggle.Seattle, WA
Jan 4, 1895The Ballot Box Was Too Full in FranklinPopulists brought witnesses to court to show that votes in Franklin precinct were pushed, shaken and crammed into an overflowing box—irregularity, they argued, even if not outright fraud.Seattle, WA
Jan 5, 1895The Elderberry Wine Defense: How a Contested Election Collapsed in LaughterPopulists dropped their challenge to Commissioner Nickerson, but testimony in the sheriff and coroner contests turned up sailors voting under protest and a lunch bag of elderberry wine at a Franklin polling place.Seattle, WA
Jan 11, 1895Two Offices Hang on a Pile of Double-Marked BallotsLawyers spend a full day before Judge Langley fighting over the sheriff's and coroner's seats, as Moyer and Van de Vanter trade technicalities over initials, stamps and hundreds of spoiled ballots.King County Courthouse, Seattle, WA
Jan 13, 1895Seven Votes Decide the Sheriff: Judge Langley Tosses Out Fraud Charges and Seats Van de VanterAfter a six-week ballot-by-ballot recount, a Seattle judge ruled that clumsy election officers could not disfranchise King County voters—and confirmed the Republican sheriff by a seven-vote margin.King County Courthouse, Seattle, WA
Feb 2, 1895A Judge Tells Seattle's School Board It Can't Raid the Building Fund to Pay Old DebtsJudge Langley rules that the $35,000 levied for new schools must build new schools — and Queen Anne parents, whose children sit in an 'open, barn-like' schoolhouse, suddenly see a six-room building within reach.Queen Anne Hill, Seattle, WA
Feb 7, 1895When Seattle’s School Warrants Went Begging at 90 CentsA judge’s ruling on school money left teachers and directors unpaid, school warrants unsellable, and King County officials refusing to honor the court.Seattle, WA