Report: Washington’s most common crime shouldn’t be one
The most commonly charged crime in Washington shouldn’t be a crime at all, the state chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union argues in a new report. Taxpayers spend more than $40 million a year to prosecute cases of third-degree driving with a suspended license, the organization found.
Soaring Rents Squeeze Section 8 Tenants
Landlords in Renton are opting out of the Section 8 voucher program resulting in many families receiving notices to vacate their homes.
As Washington’s homeless problem grows, senator and advocates debate solutions
OLYMPIA – An effort to get homeless people off the streets and into shelters seems headed for revisions after critics said it would criminalize homelessness in Washington and put extra burdens on police.
Mobile-home park’s residents left in dark as homes are sold out from under them
Neighbors in a low-income, mostly Latino mobile-home park are fighting Kittitas County’s surprise plan to evict them. Now the state is investigating. NJP attorney David Morales is representing the homeowners association.
Number of homeless students in Washington state climbs to nearly 40,000
Nearly 40,000 Washington students were homeless during the 2015-16 school year, an increase of about 12 percent from the year before. In 21 school districts, the number of homeless students doubled in the two-year span.
Stay connected to justice in Washington.
Get monthly stories of the people we serve, updates on our work, and ways to help.
Juarez v. Juarez
In a far reaching case argued by NJP-Bellingham’s Mary Welch, the Court of Appeals (Div. III) ruled that failure to grant year-long domestic violence protection orders (DVPOs) is an abuse of discretion that fails to fulfill the legislative intent to provide safety for victims.
At the mercy of the courts
The need for civil legal aid among low-income people in Washington is growing according to a 2015 study. People representing themselves in court can face multiple obstacles, including not knowing legal procedures, having unreasonable expectations about how the case will end, and not fully understanding their legal issues, Riquelme said.
Maldonado v. Maldonado
In Maldonado v. Maldonado, Court of Appeals (Div. I), NJP-Everett’s Mark Ferraz and NJP-Bellingham’s Mary Welch challenged the court’s entry of a short term DVPO that protected only one of three children who had been abused by their mother, and directed the father to seek a modification of the parenting plan to address the safety […]
Esmeralda Rodriguez v. Luis Daniel Zavala
NJP-Spokane Senior Attorney Jacqueline High-Edward and NJP-Pasco’s Karla Carlisle successfully petitioned the Washington Supreme Court to review a case where the Court of Appeals, Div. III, held that a parent could not petition for an order protecting a child based on the parent’s fear, without providing evidence of the child’s fear or evidence that domestic […]
Vets can find needed legal aid
Attorney Sam Adams helped a veteran in Kitsap County with his benefits overpayment. NJP’s Veterans Project provides legal services for vets on a wide range of civil legal issues.