Articles

PLF asks Washington Supreme Court to reconsider its decision to allow critical area planning to occur behind closed doors

October 27, 2015 | By BRIAN HODGES

Earlier this month, the Washington Supreme Court dealt a blow to transparent government when it ruled that a San Juan County committee, which included three of the county’s six-member council members, could meet behind doors to make important decisions regarding its critical areas ordinance update without violating the Open Public Meetings Ac ...

Articles

Stars, hide your fires–government transparency in Washington

October 02, 2015 | By ETHAN BLEVINS

The tragic figure Macbeth said, “Stars, hide your fires; Let not light see my black and deep desires.” Enlightened decisions don’t flourish in shadow. Likewise, good government means open government. As James Madison wrote, “a popular government, without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but a prologue ...

Articles

Belts, suspenders, and overalls–the pointless and harmful growth of wrongful discharge law

September 17, 2015 | By ETHAN BLEVINS

The Supreme Court of Washington is on a crusade to protect workers from evil bosses even when it’s unnecessary and hurts everyone. … ...

Articles

Everybody wins with at-will employment

April 24, 2015 | By ETHAN BLEVINS

In the U.S.A. of old, your boss could fire you if he didn’t like the color of your socks, the smell of your lunch, or the pitch of your sneeze. And you could get up and walk whenever it suited you. While the latter remains true, the traditional rule that an employer can discharge staff at will … ...

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A farce, a tragedy, or both

January 13, 2015 | By ETHAN BLEVINS

James Madison once wrote, “a popular government, without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but a prologue to a Farce, or a Tragedy, or, perhaps, both.” Despite being bad at agreeing on about anything nowadays, most everyone likes the idea of transparent government. Except for the government. … ...

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The erosion of traditional fair play

December 01, 2014 | By ETHAN BLEVINS

Charlie Brown always fell for Lucy’s trick of whipping the football away just as he approached for a kick. One Thanksgiving, Charlie Brown hesitated, but Lucy insisted that football was a Thanksgiving tradition. As Charlie Brown lay on his back after being duped again, Lucy smiled down and said, “Isn’t it peculiar, Charlie Bro ...

Articles

PLF Urges Washington State to Recognize the Viability of Temporary Takings Claims

May 16, 2014 | By BRIAN HODGES

Earlier this week, PLF attorneys filed an amicus brief urging the Washington Supreme Court to review the takings case, 10 North Washington Ave., LLC v. City of Richland. In 2008, 10 North Washington Ave., LLC (NWA) purchased vacant land from the city to operate as a rail yard. NWA invested over $5 million to develop … ...

Articles

Birnbaum gets support from friends of the court

October 03, 2012 | By BRIAN HODGES

While we wait for the Supreme Court of Washington to decide whether it will review Birnbaum v. Pierce County, I thought it might be nice to give some attention to two amicus briefs that were filed in support of our petition for review.  As a refresher, here’s the issue in the case as I described … ...

Articles

Update : Washington Supreme Court accepts certification in important takings case

August 02, 2012 | By BRIAN HODGES

A few days ago, I wrote about Lemire v. Washington Department of Ecology and the exciting possibility that the Supreme Court of Washington might accept the Court of Appeals’ invitation to hear the case.  Well, it didn’t take long for the Supreme Court to act.  The Court accepted certification today, meaning it will decide the … ...