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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1888 | 9 |
| 1889 | 21 |
| 1891 | 16 |
| 1892 | 57 |
| 1893 | 60 |
| 1894 | 83 |
| 1895 | 133 |
379 stories matching compel
- Queen Anne Residents Fight for a School: The $25,000 Injunction
J. W. Clise, on behalf of Queen Anne residents, filed for a temporary injunction to compel the county treasurer and school board to set aside $25,000 for a new schoolhouse.
- The Court Could Make Commissioners Act—But Not Tell Them How
A mandamus bid to split Martin's Creek precinct fails, with Judge Lichtenberg ruling the board already acted within the law.
- Abandoned and Destitute, a Migrant Wife Sues for Maintenance
A 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.
- Ballard Votes to Keep the School Doors Open
A special election saved two extra months of public schooling in Ballard, with voters approving a 3-mill levy 219 to 96 rather than let classes end on March 22.
- Three Streetcar Companies Tell Seattle They're Too Broke to Keep the Lights On
In receivership, in arrears and borrowing from their own bondholders, the city's electric railways ask to be excused from the franchise requirement that they light the streets their cars run over.
- She Worked for Half; He Kept the Deed
Phoebe Bovee says she spent years supporting Samuel McClure on a promise to share whatever they built. When he took title to a $2,600 King County property alone, she went to court.
- The State's Tax Grab
A landmark Supreme Court ruling forces Washington cities to share their liquor license revenue with the state, hitting Seattle for thousands.
- The Price of Justice in Olympia
A legal fight over venue costs in 1892 sparks anxiety among Thurston County taxpayers, revealing the administrative strain of high-profile litigation.
- The University Student Who Refused the Drill
A Seattle college student takes the faculty to court, arguing that mandatory military training interferes with his ability to work and pay his way through school.
- The Great City Printing Graft
Seattle’s local newspapers accused the Telegraph of padding city bills, sparking a political firestorm that reached the city council.
- The Bureaucratic Fight Over Death and Birth
A standoff between Washington state health officials and local physicians over whether doctors should be required to report vital statistics without pay.
- A Judgment Against the Man in the Moon: Tacoma's $2 Million Water Bond Fight
Judge Stallcup tried to invalidate $2,130,000 in water bonds. The water company's lawyer shrugged—and warned that bondholders would haul the city into court if interest went unpaid.
- The Illegal Dam Blocking the Yakima River
A local resident exposes how a private timber dam is choking off fish runs and violating state law near Easton.
- The Fight to Save Seattle’s Schools from a Legislative Raid
Seattle educators and school board officials are scrambling to block a state bill that would force the city’s education tax dollars to subsidize rural school districts.
- The Street Parade That Scandalized Victorian Seattle
A boisterous variety theater's promotional procession—featuring 'bold and painted women'—ignited a fierce public outcry in 1892, highlighting the era's clashing views on morality and civic decorum.
- Who Should Pay for the City's Infrastructure?
Facing a debt crisis following the Great Seattle Fire, city officials in 1891 debated whether to shift the mounting costs of sewer construction from the public treasury onto the backs of individual property owners.
- The Price of Seattle's Growth
A desperate push to validate city warrants issued in the chaotic wake of the Great Seattle Fire and the city's sudden expansion.
- A Judge Stops the Fish Traps—for Now
A federal injunction halts a Chicago company from driving piles for salmon traps at Village Point on Lummi Island, while the company searches for a loophole and Native fishing rights remain unresolved.
- Showdown at the Waterfront: Pistol Fire at Pacific Avenue
A simmering legal dispute over valuable waterfront property exploded into violence as a landholder took up arms to halt construction crews.
- A Domestic Crisis in Hoistfort
A woman files assault charges against her husband, citing forced labor and physical threats.
- 200 Coal Miners Take Their Wage Cut to Court
Workers at the Seattle Coal and Iron Company petition a judge to force the receiver to restore their old pay.
- Attorney Flees After Attempting to Pocket Client's Settlement
A young Tacoma lawyer disappears, leaving behind creditors after he was forced by the court to return settlement funds he attempted to misappropriate from a widow.
- The Political Pressure on Mr. Rutter
A state legislator lashes out after the press accuses him of being a 'doubtful' vote in the contentious race for the U.S. Senate.
- Tacoma Declares War on Filth—and Tuberculosis in the Milk
Tacoma’s board of health launched a summer cleanup campaign, ordering property owners to clear filth and dairies shipping milk into the city to submit cattle for tuberculosis inspection.
- Seattle to the Railway: Pave Your Share of Pike Street
The city council pressed the Seattle Railway Company to live up to its franchise and pave between its tracks on Pike Street, after hearing that the road's receiver was in no hurry.