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50 stories matching misdemeanor
- Corruption Charges in Snohomish County
The Snohomish County Attorney charges commissioners with 'malfeasance, misfeasance, corruption, and misdemeanor' in a sweeping legal bid to remove them from office.
- The Ten-Hour Day That Split Seattle’s Streetcar Men
A new state law barred Seattle’s streetcar companies from forcing motormen and conductors to work more than ten hours a day. But some workers petitioned to keep the old schedules, because they were paid by the hour.
- A Legislative Loophole for Petty Offenders
A prominent attorney reveals that a recent state law intended to increase penalties for repeat offenders is legally void regarding misdemeanors.
- Lawmakers Faced a $350,000 Deficit—and Made Officials Pay Personally
A bill by Senator Ide passed both houses making state managers personally liable for spending beyond appropriations, with a misdemeanor charge for creating a deficit.
- The Hustlers of the Waterfront: Regulating Seattle's Hotel Runners
In 1878, the Seattle City Council cracked down on the aggressive solicitors who haunted the docks, requiring them to wear badges and pay a quarterly tax for the right to hawk boarding houses.
- Washington Writes Equal Access to Inns, Barbershops and Streetcars Into Law
In March 1895 the state legislature amended its civil-rights code so that every person in Washington — 'of whatever race, color or nationality' — could claim the full enjoyment of public accommodations, with fines and jail for those who refused.
- Washington State Bans Private Mercenary Guards
New legislation makes it a serious crime for companies to employ private detective agencies like the Pinkertons to suppress strikes or intimidate employees.
- The Color Line at the Oberon: Seattle’s First Civil Rights Test
When a prominent Black minister is ejected from a local music hall for his race, he threatens legal action under state law, sparking a public debate on discrimination in early 20th-century Seattle.
- Boodle and Bust in Whatcom
An embattled treasurer and a jailed clerk highlight a city spiraling into scandal as citizens call for a grand jury.
- The Parasite Trade: Fighting the Employment Sharks
A scathing report to the State Federation of Labor exposes how corrupt employment agencies trap migratory laborers in a cycle of debt and exploitation.
- The Mayor and the Water Works Scandal
After securing an option to buy the local water plant, the mayor of Chehalis faces a political firestorm for attempting to profit from a municipal contract.
- Washington Bans Armed Mercenaries
Legislators override a veto to criminalize the employment of private armed bodies, a move targeting industrial labor conflicts.
- The Great Moss Panic of 1878
Seattle's early city council once declared war on rooftop greenery to prevent the city from burning down.
- Jailed for a Five Dollar Debt
A Spokane barber finds himself behind bars after a landlady uses criminal law to settle a civil board bill.
- The Strategic Sabotage of Sunday Closing Laws
When Wenatchee saloon owners were pressured to close on Sundays, the statewide Liquor Dealers’ Protective Association advised a calculated move: force every business in town to close, too, and wait for public frustration to boil over.
- The Great Railway Freight Revolt
In a 1891 legislative showdown, Washington lawmakers slashed freight rates by 25 percent to combat railroad monopolies, sparking a fierce debate over state versus corporate control.
- Spokane's Gambling Houses Prepare for the Midnight Deadline
As a strict new state law turns gambling from a misdemeanor into a felony, operators in Spokane debate the legality of pool rooms and slot machines.
- 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 Tear-Off Ballot Stub and the $25 Fine for Not Voting
Two 1893 bills proposed a perforated anti-fraud ballot and compulsory voting with transient polling places, hoping to end vote buying in Washington.
- Governor McGraw Says No to Cheap Textbooks and a Cascade Road
Washington’s governor vetoes a state textbook scheme and a Naches Pass road appropriation, warning that both would waste public money—and that cheap books are not the same as good ones.
- Sunday Amusements Legalized in Washington
A new state criminal code moves to modernize public life, allowing theaters, baseball, and billiards on Sundays.
- The Statehouse Recesses—and an Impeachment Trial Waits
Lawmakers adjourn until August 11 to try Insurance Commissioner J.H. Schively on 26 counts, capping a special session that cost $117,984 and spawned investigations of the Supreme Court and a 'Nurses' Trust Bill.'
- The Sea-Law Rebellion: How Seattle Sailors Won Their Freedom
Ten seamen who fled the ship Alex Gibson were ordered held by a commissioner, but a sharp legal maneuver centered on maritime labor law secured their release.
- Gambling in the Stag Saloon
A municipal judge rules that draw poker is punishable as a misdemeanor under city ordinance.
- The City’s Costly Theatrical Blunder
A Seattle judge rules that the city cannot revoke a theater's license without refunding the operator's $1,000 fee.
Also about this, in other words
- A Case of Bad Checks and Regret
M. O. Sinderude is sentenced to prison after passing a worthless check at a local business, citing intoxication as his defense.
- The Penalty for a Paper Crime
A man's attempt to exercise his right to vote leads to a felony conviction over his status as a former convict, testing the limits of the law.
- Street Justice for an Indecent Display
A man without means finds himself working off a public fine after a brush with the local court.
- A Family Pattern of Criminal Charges
After pleading guilty to horse theft, a local woman is sent to a reformatory while her mother faces time in the state penitentiary.
- Neglect of Duty Leads to Jailbreak
A night jailer is suspended for ten days after a lapse in security allows an inmate to escape the city jail.
- Former County Clerk Sentenced for Embezzlement
William P. Fenimore receives the minimum sentence after a jury recommends leniency due to his 'exemplary character'.
- The Legal Tangle Over 'Criminal Joes'
A judicial disagreement reveals the complexities of federal vs. local authority in 1872 Seattle.
- She Had Been Patient Long Enough
A Seattle bricklayer’s wife takes him to municipal court after a payday spree turns violent, and a judge suspends his sentence.