Washington courts rarely discipline guardians ad litem accused of misconduct in custody cases
Minimal oversight of court investigators makes it difficult for parents to challenge flawed reports without risking damage to their cases
Latest news (Page 26)
Oregon judge rules that voter-approved Measure 114 gun safety law violates the state constitution
State lawyers say they will appeal. A federal judge has ruled the measure legal under the U.S. Constitution.
Oregon pays nonprofit significantly more than foster parents to house vulnerable children in unregulated homes
State child welfare officials signed a contract with a religious nonprofit, paying it more than 100 times the amount they pay foster parents to care for vulnerable children.
Idaho forms statewide public defence agency, easing county burden after lawsuits over legal representation gaps
The Office of the State Public Defender was created under legislation passed in 2023
Over 100 detainees go on hunger strike against poor conditions for immigrants at Tacoma detention center
Over 100 people are refusing meals at the privately-run Northwest Detention Center, which has a history of controversy and similar strikes.
Left-wing activists worry anti-doxxing laws will target them
Recent laws in Washington and Oregon, part of a slew of similar laws nationwide, were initially aimed at stopping harassment by extremist hate groups
Oregon’s first large-scale solar park and farm hinges on 50-year-old land use laws
A farmer behind the state’s first “agrovoltaic” farm says critics cannot stop ‘an idea whose time has come’.
Oregon’s public defense crisis leaves defendants to navigate legal system on their own
A ruling by a federal judge targets those in custody without attorneys, leaving thousands of Oregonians charged with crimes on their own.
Oregon election offices are underfunded, understaffed heading into 2024 presidential election cycle
A third of Oregon’s county clerks have left their jobs during the past few years
The climate crisis is pushing Washington’s prisons to the brink
Many of Washington’s 12 prisons have been pushed to the brink by public health crises and years of neglected maintenance. Climate change could send them over the edge.
Idaho has obtained lethal injection chemicals. Where did they come from?
Department of Correction officials previously struggled to obtain lethal injection chemicals, leading to bill to allow firing squad as alternative under Idaho law
WA’s new drug law could help needle exchanges — or restrict them
The possession bill passed this year includes $63M for treatment centers. But it also gives local governments the power to regulate them.
How an Idaho children’s facility got away with firing whistleblowers of child abuse
Legal experts say the case underscores Idaho’s weak protections for workers facing retaliation
