Washington Supreme Court
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- Nov 10, 1891A Storm Cuts the Northern Pacific and Strands the CapitalA weekend storm washes out the Northern Pacific, cuts telegraph lines, and leaves travelers—and would-be supreme court attorneys—stuck between Tacoma, Olympia and Montesano.Olympia, WA
- Nov 14, 1891A Judge Ate Candy While a Man's Life Hung on the VerdictThe state supreme court overturns a Jefferson County murder conviction after Judge Sachs reads newspapers and passes sweets on the bench — and delivers a rebuke that is the longest opinion of the term.Port Townsend, WA
- Nov 14, 1891The Taxpayer Who Couldn’t Sue the StateWashington’s Supreme Court dismisses the Agricultural College case, ruling that a private resident cannot halt state spending in equity—only the attorney general can.Olympia, WA
- Nov 18, 1891The State Is Broke: Why Olympia Needs an Emergency LegislatureA supreme court ruling on university lands has left Washington's brand-new state government without money to pay its own debts — and the Olympia Tribune argues the legislature must be hauled back to the capital before the state's credit collapses.Olympia, WA
- Dec 11, 1891A Wife's Testimony Was Enough: Supreme Court Reverses Divorce DenialThe Washington Supreme Court ruled that a wife's own account of cruelty and habitual drunkenness could justify a divorce, reversing a lower court that had dismissed Nellie Lee's case.Olympia, WA
- Dec 18, 1891The State Paid the Troops That Faced the Coal RiotsWashington's Supreme Court ruled that militia sent to Gilman, Franklin and Newcastle during the 1891 coal-mine troubles acted in the state's service — and the state, not King County, had to pay.Issaquah, WA
- Dec 18, 1891The State Must Pay the Men It Called to Put Down the King County RiotsThe Washington Supreme Court unanimously ruled that Gov. Ferry's National Guard troops were in state service during the King County riots—and that the state, not the soldiers, must bear the cost.Olympia, WA
- Mar 3, 1892Jailed for a Malicious Complaint, Freed by the State Supreme CourtA Pierce County jury found George Locke not guilty and decided his accuser, Leonard Permstick, had complained maliciously. The court ordered Permstick to pay $275.85 in costs or stay in jail—until the Washington Supreme Court ruled the commitment void.Pierce County Jail, Tacoma, WA
- Mar 4, 1892The Judge, the County, and the $2,000 Court RecordA Yakima County land case with 128 parties reaches Olympia's Supreme Court over who must pay for a transcript that could decide the value of every farm acre.Olympia, WA
- Mar 8, 1892A $5,000 Check and a Textbook Vote: the Supreme Court Says the Bribery Case Must Be TriedBook agents accused of buying a state school-board vote with a five-thousand-dollar check get their indictment reinstated — and the case heads back to a Thurston County jury.Thurston County Courthouse, Olympia, WA
- Mar 15, 1892The Supreme Court Stops a Judge From Sending Yakima County the Stenographer’s BillA superior court judge tried to force the county treasury to pay for trial transcripts. The state Supreme Court said no—and used a rare writ to stop the warrants before they became county debt.Olympia, WA
- Apr 9, 1892The Lease a Husband Had No Right to SignA Tacoma mercantile firm stopped paying $500-a-month rent, arguing the leased property was community property and the wives had never signed. Washington’s Supreme Court said the lease was not absolutely void—but the tenants had rights too.Tacoma, WA
- Apr 18, 1892A Seattle Election Was Decided by Charter Procedure—and the Supreme Court Let It StandThe state Supreme Court upheld amendments that cut Seattle’s house of delegates to one member per ward, dooming V. P. Wiesemnal’s bid to take a seat under the old rules.Third Ward, Seattle, WA
- Jun 22, 1893The Right to Get PaidA landmark Washington Supreme Court ruling secures the rights of loggers to file collective liens against timber companies.Aberdeen, WA
- Jan 16, 1894The Mayor's Right to Fight City HallA landmark Washington Supreme Court ruling affirmed a mayor's authority to hire private counsel when the city's own legal department refused to defend the city against an illegal bond ordinance.Seattle, WA
- Sep 17, 1894Everett’s Sweetheart Printing Deal: The Supreme Court Said NoIn 1894, Everett’s city council awarded its official printing contract to a bid nearly four times higher than a rival’s. The Washington Supreme Court reversed course, warning that public money was not the council’s to give away.Everett, WA
- Jan 27, 1895Supreme Court Judges Refuse to Pay Road Taxes They Helped BuildTwo justices owning land along Whatcom roads balk at assessments under the new law, hinting at a constitutional fight.Bellingham, WA
- Mar 12, 1895The Judge Escapes the Legislature—For NowDamning reports on Judge W. W. Langhorne reach the House, but lawmakers postpone impeachment and hand the case to the Supreme Court.Olympia, WA
- Mar 26, 1895The Cabin Door That Killed: A Man-Trap, a Storm, and a Supreme Court WarningA Whatcom County man rigged a gun to fire when his cabin door opened. A storm-driven traveler triggered it and died—and Washington's high court upheld the conviction, ruling property rights stop short of deadly traps.Bellingham, WA
- Jun 23, 1895Try Masel and Risk Contempt, Council Is WarnedAttorney John Wiley says an appeal has stayed the case against the deposed fire commissioner—and that city officials could be hauled before the supreme court if they proceed.Seattle, WA
- Jul 27, 1903A Night Fall Into a Seattle Ditch—and the Supreme Court's Hard AnswerAllie Hobert knew the ditch was there. The state Supreme Court ruled that knowledge barred her $1,750 claim against the city.Seattle, WA
- Aug 12, 1903The State Supreme Court Shuts Down Bremerton SaloonsThe high court denies a plea to keep saloons operating, marking a legislative victory over the liquor trade.Bremerton, WA
- Nov 30, 1903The Murder That Made Washington Decide Who Counted as TribalIn 1903 the state Supreme Court upheld Tommy Santiago Howard's manslaughter conviction for killing Kate Arquette on the Puyallup Reservation, ruling that because he had no tribal ties, state court—not federal court—had jurisdiction.Puyallup Indian Reservation, Tacoma, WA
- Dec 3, 1903A Missing Word Nearly Derailed Bellingham's First City ElectionWashington's Supreme Court ruled that Whatcom and Fairhaven could hold a combined city election in December 1903, reading past a clerk's drafting error to honor the legislature's intent.Olympia, WA
- Dec 14, 1903State Court Rules Against Land Grabs in BallardThe Washington Supreme Court finds that the Land Commissioner acted unlawfully when canceling private leases to clear way for the Lake Washington canal.Seattle, WA
- Sep 24, 1908The Transit Case That Made the County PayA Stevens County surveyor ordered the tool he needed; commissioners refused the bill. The state Supreme Court said the county was liable.Colville, WA
- Feb 19, 1909The Fight for Public Oversight in OrovilleAs the growing town prepares to hand out long-term public service contracts, the Gazette warns citizens to demand a vote on monopolies that could bind the community for a generation.Oroville, WA
- Mar 4, 1909Coon v. Hay: When a Newspaper Ad Became an Election Law FightFormer Lt. Gov. Charles E. Coon asked the state Supreme Court to rehear his suit against M. E. Hay, hoping to settle whether candidates who buy newspaper ads are barred from office.Olympia, WA
- Aug 5, 1909The High Court Kills Newport's Court District, and Eastern Stevens County Is Told to Go It AloneWashington's Supreme Court struck down the law that let Superior Court sit outside county seats, wiping out Newport's new judicial district and sending local litigants back down the road to Colville — unless the county itself can be split in two.Newport, WA
- Oct 19, 1916The Petitions Were Honeycombed With Fraud—So Voters Got Referendum No. 3After the Washington Supreme Court described initiative petitions as a 'house of cards' riddled with fraud, the 1915 Legislature passed a safeguard now before voters as Referendum No. 3.Olympia, WA