Washington high court charts less punitive path on juvenile justice
With the Monschke decision, the state Supreme Court expanded the definition of youth in murder cases. No other court has done so.
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Washington State’s Supreme Court Building, also known as the Temple of Justice, photographed on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020, from Heritage Park in Olympia, Wash. (Jovelle Tamayo for Crosscut)
Liberal marijuana laws, an early endorsement for same-sex marriage and our general embrace of individual initiative have led lots of people to see Washington as an outpost of freewheeling progressivism. But when it comes to criminal justice, we’ve been among the most punitive places on the planet.
Washington s Supreme Court Decriminalizes Drug Possession theepochtimes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from theepochtimes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Alarm grows over Supreme Court s overturning of drug possession law KOMO News Staff UP NEXT
A legislative fix is in the works to restore Washington state’s drug possession law, part of which was struck down the by the state Supreme Court Thursday.
It comes after a growing number of public officials are sounding the alarm over the ruling that simple drug possession can no longer be used as the basis for an arrest in the state because it violates the due process clauses contained in the state and U.S. Constitutions.
State Sen. Steve Hobbs is one of two Democratic senators who have introduced a bill which is a simple one-word fix.
Washington Supreme Court strikes down felony drug possession law; SPD will not arrest for possession
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The Washington Supreme Court struck down the state s strict liability felony drug possession statute on Thursday which made possession of a controlled substance a felony punishable by up to five years in prison, even if the person did not know they had the drug in their possession.
In a 5 to 4 ruling, the court decided that the state s strict liability drug possession statute was unconstitutional, violating due process clause protections by taking innocent and passive conduct with no criminal intent at all and punishing it as a serious crime.