Supreme Court reinstates King County police inquest system
July 15, 2021 GMT
SEATTLE (AP) The Washington Supreme Court has reinstated sweeping changes made to the King County inquest procedures in 2018, providing an expanded avenue for the families of people killed by police to seek answers and culpability.
In a unanimous opinion the justices on Thursday struck down most challenges by several county law enforcement agencies, including the King County Sheriff’s Office, which had argued successfully in superior court that King County Executive Dow Constantine had overstepped his authority in making the changes. The justices overturned the lower court ruling.
The Seattle Times reports that more significant, however, is that the justices agreed that coroner’s juries in King County can for the first time more than 40 years be asked to determine whether an individual killed by police died by “criminal means,” and in some cases require the involved officers to testify somet
Washington Supreme Court expands options for families of people killed by police
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Washington Supreme Court reinstates King County inquest system that expands inquiry into police-caused deaths
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Washington Supreme Court: Missed court date does not imply guilt
Man found guilty for missing court date in Washington By Associated Press
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EVERETT The Washington Supreme Court last month unanimously rejected the notion that a man who skipped his court date could be presented as evidence that he felt guilty about the original crime.
State Supreme Court justices agreed that criminalizing a single missed court date could disproportionately harm people of color, poor people or people without reliable transportation or scheduling conflicts due to child care or work, The Daily Herald reported.
The ruling came less than a year after the state Legislature revised the bail jumping law, which gives people more time to respond to a warrant. Samuel Slater, 27, had one unexcused absence in his case, which predated the new law.