Liberty, the Constitution and the Washington State Supreme Court

Please join us for a panel discussion assessing the Supreme Court's rulings on property rights, due process and individual liberty. The conversation is based on an article published in the Gonzaga Law Review: The Washington Supreme Court and the State Constitution: A 2010 Assessment.

PLEASE RSVP SO WE HAVE AN ACCURATE COUNT

• Online
• Phone: 800.769.6617
• Email: lmcnally@myfreedomfoundation.org

Thursday, March 31, 2011
Gonzaga University School of Law
Barbieri Moot Court Room

6:45 p.m. – Reception
7:15 p.m. – Program begins

Moderated by:

• Kristopher I. Tefft, General Counsel, Association of Washington Business

Panelists include:

• Michael Bindas, Senior Attorney, Institute for Justice WA Chapter
• Professor David K. DeWolf, Gonzaga Law School
• Michael J. Reitz, General Counsel, Freedom Foundation

The event is free. Be sure to register so we have an accurate head count.

Sponsored by the Freedom Foundation and the Federalist Society

Liberty, the Constitution and the Washington State Supreme Court

Sponsored by the Freedom Foundation and the Federalist Society

Please join us for a panel discussion assessing the Supreme Court's rulings on property rights, due process and individual liberty. The conversation is based on an article published in the Gonzaga Law Review: The Washington Supreme Court and the State Constitution: A 2010 Assessment.

Register online or call 800.769.6617.

Thursday, March 31, 2011
Gonzaga University School of Law
Barbieri Moot Court Room

6:45 p.m. – Reception
7:15 p.m. – Program begins

Moderated by:

• Kristopher I. Tefft, General Counsel, Association of Washington Business

Panelists include:

• Michael Bindas, Senior Attorney, Institute for Justice WA Chapter
• Professor David K. DeWolf, Gonzaga Law School
• Michael J. Reitz, General Counsel, Freedom Foundation

The event is free. Be sure to register so we have an accurate head count.

With questions from panel members
~Peter Callaghan, Columnist, Tacoma News Tribune
~David DeWolf, Professor, Gonzaga University School of Law
~Stewart Jay, Professor, University of Washington School of Law

Tuesday evening, September 28, 2010
Washington Athletic Club • 1325 Sixth Avenue, Seattle
Doors open at 6:30, debate begins at 7:00

Drinks and hors d’oeuvres will be served

Admission to this event is free and parking in the Washington Athletic Club garage (1409 Sixth Avenue) will be validated

RSVP to Michael Bindas by Friday, September 24, 2010
by email at mbindas@ij.org or phone at (206) 341-9300

Presented by

THE FEDERALIST SOCIETY
PUGET SOUND LAWYERS CHAPTER

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

Click here for more details: 

Join the 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: 

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!

• 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.