U.S. Court of Appeals

One for the Mammals

Ressam Sentence Tossed

New Mardi Gras Riot Ruling

Do Our Neighbors Share Our Love of Superheroes in Spandex?

Keep Your Eyes on Your Own Paper

A quick test of your queer IQ.

Costco's Liquor Board Suit Could Help Small Wine Shops

The edge is their thoughtful selection, but they too make their money on volume.

Sunny Jim's Gravitas

Also: Appeals in the wine case, and commercial TV puts on gay pride.

Santiago v. Rumsfeld

Also: Appeals in the wine case, and commercial TV puts on gay pride.

Stopping 'Stop-Loss'

The federal 9th Circuit Court is coming to Seattle to hear the case of a National Guard soldier forced to stay on.

Hot Dish

The federal 9th Circuit Court is coming to Seattle to hear the case of a National Guard soldier forced to stay on.

One Nation Under God, If Not Zeus

The federal 9th Circuit Court is coming to Seattle to hear the case of a National Guard soldier forced to stay on.

Hemp graced

The federal 9th Circuit Court is coming to Seattle to hear the case of a National Guard soldier forced to stay on.

"The lack of a 'safety net' is nothing new to the 'able-bodied' single male, recession or not."

The federal 9th Circuit Court is coming to Seattle to hear the case of a National Guard soldier forced to stay on.

News Clips— Council clams up

The federal 9th Circuit Court is coming to Seattle to hear the case of a National Guard soldier forced to stay on.

News Clips— Striking back

The federal 9th Circuit Court is coming to Seattle to hear the case of a National Guard soldier forced to stay on.

News Clips— Killer dads to reproduce?

The federal 9th Circuit Court is coming to Seattle to hear the case of a National Guard soldier forced to stay on.

News Clips— Needle Exchange

The federal 9th Circuit Court is coming to Seattle to hear the case of a National Guard soldier forced to stay on.

The Browser— I'm not a joiner

The federal 9th Circuit Court is coming to Seattle to hear the case of a National Guard soldier forced to stay on.

Fake kids and robo-drunks

The federal 9th Circuit Court is coming to Seattle to hear the case of a National Guard soldier forced to stay on.

Temping fate

How much longer can Microsoft get away with pushing the employment-law envelope?

The war behind the scenes over rock's relentless party song

How much is "Louie Louie" worth? The Kingsmen are about to find out.

Seattle Lawyers Want to Say Bye-Bye to Bybee

On the same day that the Telegraph reported that the unreleased pictures at Abu Ghraib include shots of prisoners being raped (something the US government disputes), the Seattle Times put up an op-ed in which a bunch of local lawyers call for the resignation of Jay Bybee, a 9th Circuit Court of Appe ... More >>

Anna Nicole Smith Case Comes to Seattle

The traveling road show known as the Anna Nicole Smith case comes to Seattle in two weeks, with oral arguments set before a panel of U.S. 9th Circuit Court judges here. The late Playboy Playmate of the Year and reality TV star lost her bid to grab millions from the estate of her late husband J. Howa ... More >>

Judge Betty’s Revenge

Conservatives thought they’d sidelined the 9th Circuit’s lion of liberalism. They were wrong.

R-71 Petitions One Step Closer to Daylight

Secretary of State spokesman David Ammons on the latest in efforts to release R-71 petitions: The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has just lifted the ban on Washington releasing Referendum 71 petitions. A three-judge panel handed a clear victory to the Secretary of State Sam Reed and Attorney General ... More >>

Everett Pimp Finds That While it May be Hard Out There, it's Much Easier When You Have a Good Lawyer.

"It's called a tech-ni-cality, bitches."​Ya know how when a golfer gets a hole-in-one he or she is automatically obligated to buy everyone in the clubhouse a beer, just as a way of acknowledging the luck and good fortune that hath shone upon them? Well I think there should be a similar unspoke ... More >>

Federal Court Rules That Washington Inmates Should Be Allowed To Vote--And By the Way, the Justice System is Racist

Picture these with an "I Voted" sticker attached​Imagine if you will a world in which the 18,500 men and women currently serving felony time in the state of Washington were suddenly given the right to vote. Would some forward-thinking politico take their case to them via direct mailing, or b ... More >>

As Rob McKenna Appeals The 'Felon Voting Rights Act' to the U.S. Supreme Court, He'll Likely Have At Least One Vote Against Him

The politically aware felon's best friend?​Now that Attorney General Rob McKenna and Secretary of State Sam Reed have announced they'll appeal yesterday's decision by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals granting felons in Washington the right to vote, it's worth noting that the newest Supe is alr ... More >>

Don't Expect Court Ruling on Felon Voting--and Discrimination-- to Shake Up the Justice System

Photo by Harley SoltesDaugaard: not quite celebrating.​King County public defender Lisa Daugaard has been fighting racial discrimination in the justice system for years. She has railed against drug policies that put large numbers of minorities in prison and fought for more racially-balanced ju ... More >>

Will The Ruling on Felon Voting Survive Appeal?

Incarcerated, but politically motivated? Talk to this guy.​Notoriously liberal though it might be, would the 9th Circuit Court overturn its own appeals court's decision to grant felons the right to vote? Ryan Haygood doesn't think so. Haygood, NAACP Legal Defense Fund attorney, and member of ... More >>

Where's the Conservative Outrage Over Washington's Felon Voter Decision?

Yoo-hoo! Michelle! Remember us?​Tuesday's 9th Circuit Court of Appeals decision lifting Washington's restriction on felons voting is the bloodiest kind of red meat you could offer to the Conservative Outrage Monster. And yet, two days on, there's been nary a howl. No Beck, no O'Reilly, no Han ... More >>

While Secretary of State Sam Reed Pleads for Time to Handle Hassles of Felon Voting, Vermont and Maine Say It's a Cinch

Washington already exempts one kind of mail from inspection​To hear state Secretary of State Sam Reed tell it, allowing felons to vote from prison will unleash an array of "fairly difficult" logistical problems. How do you register voters in prison? How can ballots be kept secret given that al ... More >>

Voting From Prison: Not So Hard After All

Just ask Maine and Vermont.

Citizen Action

An Army vet goes after the officers who held him at ICE.

Ninth Circuit Throws Judge John Coughenour to Conservative Lions with Ahmed Ressam Ruling

The 9th Circuit ruling on Ressam was a "pigs can fly" moment, according to one columnist.​Conservative blogger Michelle Malkin had already labeled Seattle-based federal Judge John Coughenour "the terrorists' little helper" as well as "an embarrassment to conservatives and an impediment to winn ... More >>

City's Parks Gun Ban Upheld. But Supreme Court Is Poised to Overrule

Justice Anthony Kennedy may let you pack heat in the park.​The city's controversial (to some) 2008 ban on guns in parks has been upheld in a U.S. District Court ruling today, which overturns a contrary decision in King County Superior Court last month. Former Mayor Greg Nickels implemented the ... More >>

Ninth District Court of Appeals Is Cool With Tasering of Pregnant Women

How do you say "Don't tase me, bro" in baby?​Today's decision(pdf) by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals puts to bed--for now, anyway--Malaika Brooks's civil suit against the city of Seattle. Brooks is the woman who back in 2004 took the bullet--or rather, the triple-dose of a 50,000 volt elect ... More >>

Wal-Mart Gender Discrimination Ruling Spells Trouble for Costco

Judith Eve LiptonIn federal court, Costco and Wal-Mart have a lot in common.​Here in the Northwest, we like to think of Issaquah-based Costco as a liberal object lesson, ostensibly proving that you can offer tasteful goods, deep discounts and fair wages while still making a profit. Wal-Mart, o ... More >>

David Struckman Takes Another Shot At Appealing His Conviction

​Interviewed for a June cover story, David Struckman told the Seattle Weekly he was done fighting the government. But with his most recent appeal denied by a panel of three Federal appeals judges, and his August release date looming, the notorious tax-protestor's effort to have his 2007 convi ... More >>

Father Rosas' Quest to Integrate Church and State

​Interviewed for a June cover story, David Struckman told the Seattle Weekly he was done fighting the government. But with his most recent appeal denied by a panel of three Federal appeals judges, and his August release date looming, the notorious tax-protestor's effort to have his 2007 convi ... More >>

Alternatives to World Vision

Where to give money if you don't like the Federal Way charity's dogmatic Christian hiring practices.

Boeing Co. Invokes National Security to Avoid Claims it was Travel Agent for Torture Flights

​In a 6-5 ruling, judges of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco yesterday "reluctantly" concluded that five men cannot sue the Boeing Co. for the role its Seattle subsidiary played in helping kidnap and torture the onetime suspected terrorists. Boeing and the Obama administr ... More >>

Betty Fletcher, Seattle's Octogenarian Judge, Gets National Press as Federal Courts' Savior

Steven Miller​A couple years ago, an SW cover story called attention to arguably the most influential judge nobody (outside legal circles) has heard of: Betty Fletcher, the octogenarian, Seattle-based jurist for the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. "Judge Betty," as we called her, kept standing u ... More >>

Supreme Court Axes Lawsuit Against Boeing for Post-9/11 Torture Flights

​In the days after Sept. 11, 2001, a gaggle of suspected terrorists were rounded and sent off to secret overseas locations for some tortu... I mean "enhanced interrogation." But how did the baddies get to their locations de waterboard? Easy, they flew on a Boeing subsidiary. This, of course, ... More >>

Walmart Ruling May Not Spell Doom for Costco Discrimination Case, Insists Plaintiffs' Lawyer

​Last year, when the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals gave the green light to class-action litigation against Walmart, the law firm handling the case hailed the decision as good news not only for that lawsuit but for one the firm is pursuing against Issaquah-based Costco. Brad Seligman, lead ... More >>

Cookies and Lawsuits for Breakfast

http://www.theimpulsivebuy.com/​There is great irony in growing up. And by great, I mean sizeable, not good. Take, for just one example, the problem of breakfast. When you are young, you are taught that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and therefore 1.) needs to be eaten, and ... More >>

Border Patrol Says Giving a Ride to an Illegal Immigrant Is a Crime

​Undeterred by questions about hyper-aggressive tactics and possible over-funding, the Border Patrol has turned up the heat on the Olympic Peninsula, according to the Forks Human Rights Group. Now, if you give an illegal immigrant a ride in your car, you're at risk for being detained--even if ... More >>

Supreme Court Says Servers Who Had to Roll Silverware Can Sue Applebee's For More Money

​In a move that could have implications for food service workers nationwide, the Supreme Court yesterday refused to stop a lawsuit by Applebee's staffers who say they weren't properly paid for side work. Under Washington law, restaurant workers are paid minimum wage regardless of how much the ... More >>

Breaking News: California's Gay-Marriage Ban Ruled Unconstitutional

​A three-member panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has just ruled that California's ban on gay marriage is unconstitutional. The federal court said the state cannot prevent gay couples from marrying just because a majority of voters said so. The 2-1 decision is a huge victory for gay-ri ... More >>

UPDATED: Gay-Marriage Bill to Clear the House Today; Amendment Proposed to Exempt Gonzaga, Seattle U

​UPDATE: The Washington state House this afternoon passed the gay marriage bill by a vote of 55-43. It is expected to be signed into law by Gov. Chris Gregoire early next week. Click here for details of today's debate in Seattle PI.com. Washington's gay-marriage measure should clear its final ... More >>