ABA Journal

Washington

609 ABA Journal Washington articles.

Jackson is lone dissenter as Supreme Court allows company to sue union in state court

The U.S. Supreme Court’s newest justice was the only dissenter Thursday, when the high court allowed a concrete company to sue a union local in state court for alleged destruction of corporate property.

Seattle settles case involving ‘rights of nature,’ a theory gaining steam in other countries

Last month, the city of Seattle settled a “rights of nature” case pending in the Sauk-Suiattle Tribal Court of Appeals that was filed on behalf of salmon harmed by dams on the Skagit River.

Alito ‘packed a lot of grievance’ in dissent as Supreme Court allows access to abortion pill—for now

Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissented from the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision Friday to allow continued full access, for now, to the abortion medication mifepristone. But Alito spoke only for himself in a written dissent; Thomas did not indicate the reason for his dissent.

‘Desperate for lawyers,’ Maine considers alternative path to law license

Maine lawmakers are considering a bill that would allow aspiring lawyers to skip law school if they study under a supervising attorney for two years.

One mifepristone decision ‘runs roughshod’ over procedural issues, the other ‘is no better,’ law profs say

At least one law professor has said the competing abortion pill decisions issued Friday suffer from the same defect: The plaintiffs lack standing.

From Amanda Knox to Kyle Rittenhouse, lawyer discusses justice and due process in the digital age

In Anne Bremner’s work as a Seattle-based trial attorney, she saw a disturbing pattern—that high-profile cases often trending on Twitter challenge the concept “innocent until proven guilty,” as cases are tried online, as well as in courtroom proceedings.

Ex-lawyer who claimed wrongs by ‘bar card lynch mob’ charged with stabbing targeted attorney

A suspended lawyer in Renton, Washington, who once sued two other attorneys for defamation is accused of stabbing one of the lawsuit defendants in the back last month.

Meet 12 ABA members who inspired us in 2022

In this year’s Members Who Inspire series, the ABA Journal featured 12 extraordinary ABA members who go to great lengths to embolden their clients, colleagues and members of the communities around them. Their work includes helping immigrants with tax issues, advocating for individuals living with HIV/AIDS and addressing racial injustice and inequality.

Washington admits bar applicant with sex-offender status, based on young age at time of conduct

A law school graduate with a 2010 conviction for voyeurism involving shared images of youths can be admitted to practice law in Washington, the Washington Supreme Court found in a 5-4 opinion.

Ex-lawyer gets prison time after staging sham depositions, creating bogus documents to claim court wins

A former California lawyer has been sentenced to 37 months in federal prison for collecting legal fees from clients and then using phony legal documents to persuade them that he was winning their cases.

Top Idaho court strikes down grandparent visitation law that is based on best interest of child

The Idaho Supreme Court has struck down a state law that allows grandparents and great-grandparents to be granted visitation over the objection of fit parents—if it is in the best interest of the child.

Lawyer accused of trying to file fake news article doesn’t show up for sanctions hearing

A lawyer accused of fabricating a news article from a fake publication called the Saudi Sun didn’t show up for a Friday hearing to consider whether he should be sanctioned.

Patient who received negligent reproductive health care can recover all damages, state supreme court rules

The Washington Supreme Court ruled Thursday that judges in Washington are permitted to award extraordinary damages in “wrongful life” cases.

As some jurisdictions consider bar exam alternatives, ABA Legal Ed section again looks at bar pass standard

Language for a controversial law school standard, which states that at least 75% of a law school’s graduates pass a bar within a two-year period, is being examined by the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar—in light of some jurisdictions considering alternative paths to law licensure.

Judge is suspended after awarding judgment on counterclaim that was never filed

A judge in Cowlitz County, Washington, was censured and suspended without pay for 10 days after she awarded a judgment on a counterclaim that was never filed and had an off-the-record discussion with a traffic litigant.

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