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173 stories matching writ
- A Taxpayer Tries to Stop the City From Writing Checks It Can’t Cover
Francis Hoffman and the Olympia Hardware Company ask a judge to block further city warrants, arguing Olympia has blown past its debt limit.
- A Plea for Protection and Independence
After years of alleged abuse and instability, Lucy Stewart seeks a divorce and a restraining order against her husband.
- The Constable Who Walked Off With the Diamond Ring
A $150 raffle at a South Second Street barber shop ended before the drawing could begin when a creditor arrived with a writ of attachment.
- The Shipping Union’s Legal Ambush
Sailors' union activists attempt to use state court writs to challenge the legality of non-union, foreign-recruited crews aboard a ship in Port Townsend.
- The Polls Closed an Hour Early, and the Court Threw the Election Out
A Jefferson County school-clerk contest reaches the state Supreme Court, where a statute's silence and a 7 p.m. closing time decide who holds office.
- The Right to Remain: A Victory in Federal Court
Judge Hanford rules that a Japanese laborer cannot be deported as a 'pauper' by immigration inspectors, asserting a right to due process.
- The Shadow of the Chinese Exclusion Act
Three men arrested under the 1882 Exclusion Act face deportation despite claims of residency; Judge Hanford declares the legal rights of Chinese laborers effectively suspended.
- The Fight Over Public Printing in Snohomish
A judge rules that the county treasurer has the discretion to choose which newspaper receives taxpayer money for publishing delinquent tax lists.
- The Courthouse War
A fierce battle between a judge and county officials leads to a standoff, a jail sentence, and a wild threat to tear down the jailhouse to free the prisoner.
- Judge Hanford and the Legal Battle for Exclusion
A federal judge asserts authority over state court interference in the deportation of Chinese individuals arriving in Tacoma.
- The Marriage License Court Battle
A young couple defeats parental interference in the local courts.
- The Custody Battle of a 'Frisky' Mother
After a husband wins custody of his two daughters via writ, the mother seeks a rehearing, sparking a public debate over moral character and marital unhappiness.
- The Murderer Stays Behind Bars
A federal judge refuses to release a death-row inmate, ruling that while the state court erred, the prisoner must exhaust his legal appeals first.
- Old Drainage Debt Forces Public Hearing
A legacy of unpaid warrants from the Haxton Drainage district leads to a court-ordered assessment on local landowners.
- The Courthouse Standoff
A local treasurer defies a court order to pay city school warrants, deepening a long-running legal feud over the Tourist Hotel site.
- Superior Court Upholds Eight-Hour Day
A landmark court ruling in Spokane affirms the constitutionality of the eight-hour workday for municipal contractors.
- The Prosecution's Gamble for a Fine
A legal dispute arises in superior court over whether the state can garnish a cash bond to pay a criminal fine, rather than letting the convicted man serve time.
- 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.
- A Mutiny of the Seas at Port Blakely
When sailors on the ship 'Carrie E. Davenport' refused to sail, a local legal battle over labor rights and ship contracts ignited in the courts.
- A Father Snatches His Baby on Main Street, and a Judge Orders the Child Returned
A Saturday afternoon chase in Olympia ended in court when a logger grabbed his infant son from his estranged wife, prompting a habeas corpus writ.
- The 'Rocky Mountain Hustler' in the City Jail
A teenager’s father attempts to use the courts to release his son, who was arrested for holding up a local grocer.
- A Wharfside Standoff Over a Sewing Machine
A passenger aboard a steamer bound for Alaska attempted to physically resist a constable serving an attachment writ for a debt owed to the Singer Sewing Machine Company.
- Voters Denied a Voice in the Woods
A legal battle erupts as King County residents claim they are being disenfranchised by a failure to establish local election precincts.
- The Fight for Hattie Graham
A teenager locked away in the House of the Good Shepherd finds herself at the center of a legal and domestic tug-of-war.
- The Long Shadow of Martial Law
A lawsuit reaches the district court regarding the 1886 Seattle anti-Chinese riots and the suspension of civil rights.