Walla Walla Lawyers Challenge Federal Court Map
Local attorneys unite against a congressional bill to split Washington into two federal judicial districts, favoring a north-south divide instead.
At the regular meeting of the Walla Walla Bar Association held last night at the Dacres Hotel, the resolutions recently adopted by the Spokane Bar Association, protesting against the proposed division of the state into two federal court districts as provided by the bill introduced in Congress by Senator Foster, were taken up and discussed. Every member present expressed himself as being opposed to the division of the state by an east and west line, but all favored making the division by an imaginary line running north and south, using the Cascade Mountains as the divider. By a unanimous vote, the secretary was instructed to prepare resolutions similar to those adopted by the Spokane Bar and forward a copy at once to the Washington delegation in Congress.
“Every member present expressed himself as being opposed to the division of the state by an east and west line.”
This 1904 dispute over how to partition the federal judiciary echoes the perennial regional tensions between Eastern and Western Washington. Today, Walla Walla remains part of the Eastern District of Washington, and the arguments over where the 'true' divide of the state lies continue to shape local political identity.
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