The Shadow of Corporate Influence Over Washington's Highest Court
Attorney Herbert N. De Wolfe challenges the integrity of the state Supreme Court, alleging that corporate interests have compromised the bench.
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The public is increasingly asking: is there one law for the rich and another for the poor? Questions regarding whether the Washington State Supreme Court disregards the rights of the common person to favor corporate interests are causing widespread agitation. While the public has historically been loath to suspect financial corruption, the recent 'Gordon-Root' scandal and subsequent legislative maneuvers—including the expansion of the court in 1907—have fueled suspicions. Attorney Herbert N. De Wolfe, formerly of West Seattle, has brought formal charges before the legislature, claiming that the court is beholden to corporate masters. Despite the appointment of a legislative committee, many doubt a fair investigation, noting that corporate allies within the legislature are already moving to dismiss the charges as trivial. As De Wolfe takes his fight to the State Bar Association, he argues that justice is being perverted, noting that what is considered 'good law' for a private citizen often does not apply to a corporation.
“It is not law itself, which means justice for all men, but the perversion of law that is responsible for the growing hatred of court decrees.”
This 1909 critique of 'judicial capture' by corporate interests mirrors ongoing modern debates about the intersection of campaign finance, judicial impartiality, and the influence of wealth on the legal system in Washington State.
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