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220 stories matching valid
- A Million Dollars in Doubt: Tacoma's Council Moves to Legalize Its Own Debt
Behind closed doors, council members scheme to validate nearly $1,000,000 in city bonds — and to slip a new charter and a purge of salaried offices onto the same ballot, over the objections of the mayor and department heads.
- Pierce County Voters Reject Debt Validation
A tight election in Tacoma leaves the county's financial future in limbo after voters narrowly defeat a measure to ratify outstanding debt.
- Government Intervenes in Landmark Labor Rights Case
For the first time, the federal government supports a worker's challenge to the 'fellow servant' rule, a legal doctrine that historically shielded railroads from liability for employee injuries.
- Banking Fallout from School Bond Mess
Local business leaders back away from an informal agreement to cover school district debt as the legal validity of the warrants is questioned.
- The Marriage of Convenience
A federal judge bypasses exclusion laws by upholding a traditional Chinese proxy marriage for an immigrant woman.
- Hospitalization Excuses City Hall's Negligence
The Washington State Supreme Court ruled that a citizen’s hospital stay is a valid reason for missing a 30-day window to file a claim against the city for street injuries.
- Newport Faces $1,600 Suit Over Carter Springs Warrants
A disputed municipal water purchase returns to court after the town council failed to appear in an earlier hearing on the warrants' validity.
- The Delegate Who Stalled the State’s Legal Progress
How a stubborn stand on woman suffrage paralyzed Washington Territory’s legislative agenda in the halls of D.C.
- The Courts Overrule a Legal Gambit
A municipal judge’s attempt to invalidate Seattle’s anti-gambling laws is struck down, ensuring the city’s crackdown on theater games continues.
- The Justice, the Teen Bride, and the Proof of Adulthood
When a young couple arrived in 1876 Seattle seeking to re-validate their wedding, a skeptical judge found himself out-argued by the bride’s most persuasive piece of evidence.
- Registered Women Join Vote on $63,729.69 School Debt
With a high-stakes school bond measure on the ballot, the city reminds residents—including women—to register before the books close.
- Seattle’s Fiscal Reckoning
Voters overwhelmingly approve a massive bond measure to fund city infrastructure and settle outstanding warrants, effectively validating the city's financial integrity.
- The Mayor Hired to Break His Own Ordinance: A Teamster's Wagon Tests a Street Law
When a Front Street hauler blocks a druggist's doorway, the teamsters make a test case of it—and retain the very mayor who signed the rule to argue it down.
- State Legislature Grants Cities Local Control
A landmark bill passes in Olympia, allowing smaller towns to incorporate and manage their own debts, fueling the boom of the 1890s.
- The Ghost Town That Refused to Die
A legal war between Denver, Washington, and the city of Spokane ends in the state supreme court, effectively wiping a town off the map.
- The Eight-Hour Fight in Spokane
Laborers challenge contractor over mandatory eight-hour work day ordinance.
- Seattle’s Schools Ask Voters to Make the Ledger Balance
With teachers discounting their own salary warrants, the school board calls a special election to validate a $37,000 floating debt and put the district on a cash basis.
- A Six-Month Divorce Rule Meets a Quick Idaho Wedding
A Spokane court asks whether a divorced woman's speedy remarriage makes her an adulteress—and whether hundreds of local marriages and land titles are at risk.
- Statewide Prohibition Faces High Court Showdown
A Thurston County judge ruled the statewide prohibition law constitutional, setting the stage for a tense legal battle before the state's highest court.
- Legal Ruling Defines Validity of Real Estate Leases
A court case in Port Townsend clarifies the strict requirements for property leases, warning landowners that failing to notarize agreements can lead to disastrous litigation.
- The Battle Over Gold and Greenbacks in Walla Walla
A legal dispute over whether debts must be paid in gold or federal paper money echoes the era's financial uncertainty.
- The Paperwork Error That Challenged Seattle’s Property Claims
A legal dispute over a real estate deed in 1885 reveals how bureaucratic technicalities—specifically a missing county seal—threatened the validity of early land titles in King County.
- Olympia’s Mayor Resigns to Save a Disputed Election
After a contested municipal election, Mayor Horr says he will step down on January 5 so successors can be appointed—and asks the outgoing councilmen to do the same.
- The Battle for Elliott Bay
A railroad company is eyeing a constitutional clause to claim millions in tide lands, but the public says the water belongs to the people.
- The Only Job Worth Having in a Bankrupt Little City
Nobody wants a seat on the council, but five men are scrambling for the treasurer's office and its commissions on $200,000 of debt.