Washington State Supreme Court rules immigration detainees entitled to minimum wage
The Washington Supreme Court ruled Thursday that civil immigration detainees employed in private facilities must be treated as legal employees and are thus entitled to the minimum wage stipulated by the state. The case, Ugochukwu Goodluck Nwauzor, et al v. The GEO Group, Inc., scrutinized the compensation practices of the GEO Group, a Florida-based private [...]
US lawmakers across the nation respond to Texas mass shooting
Following a mass shooting at a mall in Allen, Texas Saturday, lawmakers at all levels of government released statements regarding gun laws and policies. After ordering that the United States flag be flown at half-staff at all public buildings in the nation, President Joe Biden said in a statement: Republic Members of Congress cannot continue [...]
Washington state governor signs bill banning sale of assault weapons
Washington state Governor Jay Inslee Tuesday signed House Bill (HB) 1240, prohibiting the sale, manufacture, import and distribution of assault weapons in the state. The ban includes AR-15s, AK-47s and many other kinds of semiautomatic weapons. According to the bill, “ssault weapons are civilian versions of weapons created for the military and are designed to [...]
A federal district court in Washington state ruled against a Tacoma for-profit immigration detention center in a minimum wage suit Tuesday, ordering its owners to pay $5.9 million in unlawful gains earned against single-dollar wages since 2005, as well as $17.3 million in back wages owed to detainee workers. The detention center’s owners, The GEO [...]
Washington Governor Jay Inslee signed a bill on Wednesday that bans for-profit detention centers, including immigration facilities, in the state of Washington. The only Washington facility impacted by the bill is the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma. The Northwest Detention Center is one of the United States’ largest, for-profit immigration jails. The GEO Group operates [...]
Washington state expands voting rights for individuals with felony convictions
Washington Governor Jay Inslee signed a bill into law Wednesday expanding voting rights for persons with felony convictions. HB 1078 automatically restores voting rights for people with felony convictions once completing a sentence of total confinement through the Washington Department of Corrections. Total confinement is limited to the physical area of a correctional facility and [...]
DOJ labels New York, Portland, Seattle 'anarchy' jurisdictions
US Attorney General William Barr labeled New York City, Seattle and Portland, Oregon, “anarchy” jurisdictions in a press release on Monday. The move will give the federal government the ability to deny federal funding to those jurisdictions. In the press release, Barr cited increases in violence correlated with the protests for racial justice that began [...]
The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit held Monday that Washington state has jurisdiction over crimes involving non-Native Americans on the Yakama Nation reservation. Public Law 280, which was passed in 1953, gave states the “consent of the United States” to assume full jurisdiction over causes of action on Native American reservations by [...]
Washington Governor Jay Inslee signed a bill into law Tuesday limiting the use of facial recognition technology. “AN ACT Relating to the use of facial recognition services” will allow law enforcement to use facial recognition “in a manner that benefits society while prohibiting uses that threaten our democratic freedoms and put our civil liberties at [...]
Washington governor signs bill allowing sports betting at tribal casinos
In a bill signing ceremony on Wednesday, Washington Governor Jay Inslee signed into law a new bill that will allow sports betting to occur in tribal casinos in the state. The bill, which was introduced earlier this year and quickly passed by both chambers of the state legislature, will add Washington to a growing list [...]
