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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1888 | 1 |
| 1889 | 5 |
| 1891 | 2 |
| 1892 | 5 |
| 1893 | 14 |
| 1894 | 8 |
| 1895 | 9 |
44 stories matching invalid
- The Judge Who Dissolved Two Towns
A legal loophole in territorial law leaves aspiring municipalities in limbo after Judge Hanford declares the town-incorporation statute unconstitutional.
- Ezra Meeker Tries to Take Back Puyallup's Park—and Loses
The state supreme court rules that a public dedication survives the town's invalid original incorporation, leaving Puyallup's park in the city's hands.
- Judge Strikes Down City Gambling Ordinances
Municipal Judge Joseph M. Glasgow rules that local ordinances regarding gambling and assault are invalid because they conflict with state law, forcing a change in how the city handles such cases.
- 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.
- 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.
- Tacoma's Water and Light Bonds Survive Their Day in Court
Judge Stallcup's suit to invalidate the city's light and water bond issue was dismissed in superior court; the case will go to the state Supreme Court.
- The Islander's Printing Contract Ruled Invalid
The Washington Supreme Court finds that San Juan County erred in awarding a printing contract to the Islander, directing the work to the Graphic instead.
- Street Peddlers Defeat Seattle’s Restrictive Ordinance
A municipal court judge rules that a city ordinance banning fruit and vegetable street vendors is unconstitutional and void.
- The Nun on the Fire Escape
A delirious man, a locked bedroom, and a nun’s desperate climb up a high-rise fire escape to deliver medicine.
- The Defaulting Treasurer’s Last Stand
Seattle’s city treasurer, Adolph Krug, is sentenced to seven years of hard labor, capping a dramatic trial marked by desperate legal maneuvering to invalidate the city's charter.
- The City’s Missing Vote
Seattle’s ambition to modernize was stalled in 1892 when a legal technicality regarding the Ninth Ward annexation invalidated $135,000 in city bonds, exposing the messy reality of rapid municipal expansion.
- A Mother's Struggle
A judge moves to intervene in the life of a 15-year-old youth whose mother can no longer manage him.
- The Heiress, the Invalid, and the Absent Executor
A nineteen-year-old Snoqualmie woman fights a legal battle against a powerful executor who left her destitute and in debt despite a $100,000 family estate.
- The Grading Debt That Never Was
A judge rules that Seattle property owners don't have to pay for street improvements that the city never actually finished.
- A Former County Commissioner's Despair Ends in an Old Tacoma Room
Charles T. Fay, a well-known Steilacoom settler and ex-county commissioner, shot himself after financial worries and an election defeat.
- The Editor versus the Judge
A clash between the press and the bench over a municipal dance hall ordinance sparks a contempt charge.
- A Striker's Wife Wounded in the Franklin Coal Wars
A woman permanently disabled by gunfire during a strike-breaking confrontation at Franklin mines sues the Oregon Improvement Company for $25,000.
- Military Commander Dies Suddenly at Camp Murray
The sudden passing of Colonel F. E. Trotter, instructor of the Washington National Guard, leaves the militia camp in mourning and suspends all training exercises.
- The City’s Botched Annexation Plan
Seattle’s attempt to annex surrounding lands hits a legal wall after a drafting error excludes parts of Ballard by mistake.
- The Battle Over Seattle’s Waterfront
Delegates at the constitutional convention debate the legality of old railroad land grants that once promised to privatize Elliott Bay.
- The Laundress's Life Savings Stolen
A young immigrant woman working in a Centralia laundry was robbed of three years' worth of wages by two men who threatened her at gunpoint.
- The Railroad and the Riparian Rights
Colman seeks injunction against railroad's Columbia Street track extension over contract and riparian claims.
- A Vengeful Pursuit of a Debtor
A woman travels from Denver to Washington to confront the man who allegedly swindled her out of her life savings, only to be thrown in jail.
- The Battle for Madison Street
A dormant railway company suddenly awakens to block a new transit line, sparking a fierce clash at City Hall.
- The Fee Fight at the Courthouse
A legal battle over court costs reaches the superior court as the Clerk faces a mandate to lower his prices.