Supreme Court of Washington Blog : Supreme Court of Washington Blog : Washington Public Policy & Budget News : Evergreen Freedom Foundation : WA State Tax & Labor Law Commentary & Updates

We usually reserve this site to discuss the business of the Washington Supreme Court, but want to notify you of an upcoming event.

Join the Evergreen Freedom Foundation for its first annual Freedom Classic Golf Tournament on September 16, 2010! We'll be golfing at the beautiful Indian Summer Country Club & Golf Course in Olympia. Proceeds support the Foundation's activities including this blog.

We also have tournament sponsorships available for your company or organization.

Click here for more details: 

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We are publishing this blog to assist citizens, practitioners, and journalists who want to follow the cases before our state’s high court.

Why a blog about a state Supreme Court? Over the last 30 years there has been a growing recognition of the importance of state courts. In fact, this is the genius of our nation’s federalist system. Very few cases make it to the U.S. Supreme Court, but thousands of cases reach their final resolution in state supreme courts. Among these courts, the Washington State Supreme Court was recently named one of the most influential in the country.

Careful analysis is especially relevant in a state where Supreme Court justices are elected. Voters usually face great difficulty deciphering a candidate’s record, qualifications, and judicial philosophy. The information we aggregate over time will allow voters to retrieve every opinion each justice has written from this point forward.

Readers can expect several regular features. We plan to review new cases the court accepts, preview oral arguments, and analyze opinions the court hands down. Special features will include a monthly audio podcast to discuss significant items, and the occasional “live-blog” to follow oral arguments in high-profile cases. Along the way, we’ll cover noteworthy news about the court and its members.

Please let us know how we can improve the site!

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The Supreme Court of Washington is hitting the road. The Court hears cases away from the Temple of Justice in Olympia three times a year to allow citizens to see justice in action. Three cases will be argued before the Court at the Pierce College in Puyallup on Feb. 12.

• State v. Pugh: Whether statements in a 911 call constituted testimonial hearsay inadmissible under the federal and state constitutional right of confrontation, and if not, whether the Washington constitution requires the State to show the caller was unavailable as a witness before the caller’s statements can be admitted as excited utterances.
• State v. Garvin: Whether a police officer exceeded the permissible scope of a frisk for weapons pursuant to an investigative stop when he squeezed the defendant’s pocket to determine the nature of objects inside the pocket, discovering narcotics.
• In re Estate of Pamela L. Kissinger: Whether, under the “slayer statute,” which prohibits a person from receiving any property or benefit from someone he “willfully” and “unlawfully” killed, a killing is “unlawful” if the perpetrator is found not guilty of murder by reason of insanity, and whether “willfulness” requires intent and design or only knowledge.

More details here.

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