Billy Frank Jr., the charismatic leader in the successful battle over fish, was praised by President Obama: “Thanks to his courage and determined effort, our resources are better protected, and more tribes are able to enjoy the rights preserved for them more than a century ago.”

Nisqually tribal elder Billy Frank Jr. was a tireless advocate for dignity and respect for all living creatures. He is a true figure of Northwest history.

King County Superior Court Judge Mary Yu was appointed to the Washington state Supreme Court on Thursday, becoming the first openly gay justice, as well as the first Asian American, to serve on the state’s high court.

For someone with a family wage job or better, a traffic ticket is not much more than an irritant: Pay it and get on with life. For someone unemployed or living hand-to-mouth, that same ticket often becomes an insurmountable barrier, leading to more legal troubles, escalating fines and even jail time.

The U.S. Senate on Wednesday confirmed a Wenatchee attorney as a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington.
Stanley Allen Bastian, 56, will fill a judgeship vacant since June 7, 2012, when Judge Edward Shea assumed senior status, a news release from Ninth Circuit said. One vacancy remains to be filled on the court.

Collections agencies were bothering Olympia resident Jerry Baker, 68, at all hours at the start of the year because of about $2,000 he owed the state in unpaid fines for traffic violations.

The March 22 Oso mudslide was an unspeakable tragedy. As workers continue to search for still-missing loved ones, those who survived find themselves confronting a host of financial and legal uncertainties.

The shock is wearing off in Darrington and Oso.Nearly a month after the devastating mudslide destroyed a neighborhood and wiped out the highway between the two towns, people are trying to find a “new normal” in a place where nothing will be the same again.

For Rodi O’Loane, knowing that 200 attorneys across the state have offered free legal help to people affected by the deadly Oso mudslide is especially meaningful.

Practice has increased since Great Recession, and everyone is paying the price.