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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1876 | 1 |
| 1877 | 1 |
| 1878 | 1 |
| 1884 | 2 |
| 1886 | 3 |
| 1887 | 2 |
| 1888 | 4 |
| 1889 | 2 |
| 1890 | 2 |
| 1891 | 4 |
| 1892 | 8 |
| 1893 | 12 |
| 1894 | 8 |
| 1895 | 7 |
| 1898 | 1 |
| 1903 | 14 |
| 1904 | 2 |
| 1905 | 2 |
| 1907 | 2 |
| 1908 | 2 |
| 1909 | 4 |
| 1911 | 2 |
| 1925 | 1 |
87 stories matching unconstitut
- The Daily Grind: Tacoma Workers Demand a Living Wage in 1892
A bold petition from local laborers forces the City Charter Amendment Committee to confront demands for a $2 daily wage and a nine-hour workday.
- The Populist Fight for Tax Relief
A representative explains the constitutional struggle to exempt small property holdings from taxation.
- The Supreme Court Rules on Street Grading Liability
The Washington State Supreme Court clarifies the statute of limitations for damage claims against the City of Seattle.
- The Great Spokane Dental Crackdown
A group of Spokane dentists face criminal charges for practicing without a state license, leading to a legal showdown over the constitutionality of Washington's dental regulations.
- The Constitutional Battle Over Fruit Inspection
A Superior Court judge rules that Skagit County fruit inspectors cannot be appointed, effectively stalling the state’s ability to regulate the local orchard industry.
- The Fight to Curb Judicial Overreach
A radical proposal to strip Washington courts of the power to declare state laws unconstitutional sparks a fierce debate in the legislature.
- The Great Hunter’s License Fiasco
A Spokane judge strikes down a state hunting law, labeling it a 'fearful and wonderful piece of work' riddled with drafting errors.
- City Hall Refuses to Rewrite Its Own Rulebook — and Dares the Supreme Court to Decide
Seattle's council rejects the freeholders' petition for a new city charter, declaring the enabling law unconstitutional, and offers to bankroll a test case all the way to Olympia.
- The White River Ditch Stalls
A landmark court decision strikes down the drainage assessment law, leaving farmers and property owners in limbo.
- The Logging Law Loophole
A court ruling renders timber-scaling laws toothless, allowing logs to be transported before taxation.
- The Day the Territorial Supreme Court Killed Women's Suffrage in Washington
In a landmark test case from May 1902, Judge Sash ruled that the Organic Act of Washington Territory only granted voting rights to males, effectively striking down local efforts to enfranchise women.
- The Legal Battle Over Seattle's Courtroom Seats
A local attorney argues that all three Superior Court seats in King County must be contested in the upcoming election, challenging current term limits.
- The Constitutional Battle Over Free Trade
A lifelong Democrat breaks with his party's tariff stance, citing the nation's founding documents.
- The City Hall Crackdown on Variety Theaters
A municipal judge enforces a new ordinance targeting variety theaters serving alcohol, sparking a legal battle over the city's power to revoke business licenses.
- The Union Label Battle
Everett printers and pressmen revolt against a city attorney’s attempt to strike down a mandate for union-made office supplies.
- The Struggle for a Cedar Valley Road
Legal battles and changing land ownership complicate the quest to connect Seattle to the settlement of Kangley.
- The First Convict of the Gambling Law
A Spokane saloon operator becomes the first casualty of Washington's strict new anti-gambling statute, landing a one-year sentence at the state penitentiary in Walla Walla.
- The Fight for the Ten-Hour Day
A department store faces legal action for forcing saleswomen into fourteen-hour shifts.
- City Contractors Collude Against the Eight-Hour Day
Labor unions in Seattle allege that local contractors are manipulating the courts to strip workers of their legal protections.
- The High-Stakes Gamble to Legalize Gambling
A legislative challenge in Olympia tests a state ban on gambling, backed by a shadowy, well-funded coalition of operators.
- 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 Governor’s Veto and the State’s Looming Deficit
Governor McGraw slashes funding for two new normal schools, citing a constitutional mandate to keep the state's spending within its revenue.
- Superior Court Upholds Eight-Hour Day
A landmark court ruling in Spokane affirms the constitutionality of the eight-hour workday for municipal contractors.
- The Constitutional Question of Local Option
A landmark court ruling in Dayton challenged the constitutionality of Washington's local option liquor laws, sparking a debate on police power and contracts.
- The Gambler Who Fled the Law
After volunteering to test the legality of a new anti-gambling statute, a Spokane man skips town rather than face his penitentiary sentence.