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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1872 | 1 |
| 1876 | 3 |
| 1877 | 3 |
| 1880 | 2 |
| 1883 | 1 |
| 1885 | 4 |
| 1886 | 3 |
| 1887 | 8 |
| 1888 | 1 |
| 1889 | 7 |
| 1891 | 10 |
| 1892 | 12 |
| 1893 | 16 |
| 1894 | 13 |
| 1895 | 23 |
| 1903 | 1 |
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111 stories matching valid
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 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.
- The $100,000 Estate and the Indian Marriage That Seattle Forgot
A daughter claiming the estate of pioneer Franklin Mathias says her parents were married by Indian custom in 1867. A federal judge must decide whether that marriage—and her legitimacy—counts.
- The Seattle Lawyer Who Argued Both Sides of the Tide-Land Question
Colonel J. C. Haines told one court that Washington could grant title to the Dr. Maynard tract and another that the United States cannot grant title to tide lands — leaving 360 acres of Seattle's waterfront frozen until the supreme court settles it.
- The Trial of a Man Known Only as a 'Pimp'
A Seattle lawyer challenges a city ordinance that allows for arrests based on reputation rather than criminal acts.
- The Citizenship Fight
A Chinese merchant seeks naturalization despite federal exclusionary laws, putting the legal question before the courts.
- Washington State Prepares for Prohibition
The state supreme court confirms that the prohibition law is constitutional, setting the stage for saloons to close their doors by the New Year.
- An Artesian Spring Found Under the Occidental Block
Drilling beneath the heart of Seattle's business district reveals a massive, flowing water source.
- The Tax Bill Seattle Couldn't Defend
Kate Evans wins a default judgment over an illegal Twelfth Street grade assessment, exposing a $75,000 civic liability as the abandoned improvement heads back to the Supreme Court.
- Seattle Wins Its Yesler Avenue Grade Assessment in the State Supreme Court
The state Supreme Court reverses a lower court and holds that a regular assessment roll alone makes the city's case to collect the Yesler Avenue grade assessment — the defense must now prove any defect.
- The City Council’s War on Williams: How Seattle Tried to Fire Its Own Engineer
A bitter power struggle between the Board of Aldermen and city engineer Benezette Williams led to a legislative loophole designed to strip him of his contract, sparking fears of costly lawsuits and stalled infrastructure projects.
- City Moves to Shut Down Dance Houses
A municipal judge rules against saloons operating dance halls, marking a turning point in the city's crackdown on 'lewd and lascivious' nightlife.
- The Illegal Swim
Two men face fines for the 'crime' of swimming in Lake Washington, highlighting the strange, hyper-regulated public morals of 1890s Seattle.
- The Price of a Cold Commute
After Mintie Carver died of pneumonia following a frigid, unheated train journey, her estate won a lawsuit against the Northern Pacific—a verdict the court refused to overturn.
- The Unquestionable Will of Bailey Gatzert
Seattle’s prominent civic leader leaves a massive estate with ironclad instructions that bar his beneficiaries from ever challenging his wishes in court.
- A Seattle Election Was Decided by Charter Procedure—and the Supreme Court Let It Stand
The state Supreme Court upheld amendments that cut Seattle’s house of delegates to one member per ward, dooming V. P. Wiesemnal’s bid to take a seat under the old rules.