The Docket: October 2, 2026
The Docket is PLF’s weekly newsletter covering the cases, clients, and policy battles shaping the future of liberty in America. You can catch up on last week’s Docket here and subscribe below to receive future editions in your inbox.
PLF client Joshua Diemert gets a win in the Ninth Circuit; blocked from pumping water for over a year, Jerry and Valerie Bingham file a lawsuit to save their family farm; and “Water & Punishment” highlights the King and Fodé families’ battle with Washington’s Department of Ecology.
Federal appeals court revives Seattle worker’s racial harassment claim
Joshua Diemert joined Seattle’s Human Services Department in 2013 as a program intake representative. Despite his hard work and celebrated performance, he endured years of harassment and racial discrimination stemming from the City’s Race and Social Justice Initiative—a citywide effort that began in 2004 to end city government’s purported “institutional racism” and to achieve racial equity in the community.
In December 2020, Joshua filed a charge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, but due to a backlog, the agency didn’t take up the issue until April 2021. During that time, the harassment and discrimination he endured became so extreme that he finally resigned. The following year, with PLF’s help, Joshua decided to fight back.
Earlier this week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit delivered a key legal victory—reversing a lower court decision that had thrown out Joshua’s hostile work environment claims, clearing the way for him to finally have his day in court.
‘Water & Punishment’: King Ranch and Fodé Farms versus the Washington Dept. of Ecology
On Wednesday, we released “Water & Punishment,” a 15-minute documentary short showcasing two multigenerational farming and ranching families—the Kings and Fodés—each facing hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines for routine land management.
It’s a story of a state agency that writes its own rules, enforces them, and judges whether they were broken—and the farmers and ranchers who chose to take a stand.
Idaho family farm files lawsuit to fight for their water rights and their future
The Bingham family has farmed in Bingham County, Idaho, since 1950. In July 2025, the state’s Department of Water Resources ordered them to stop pumping water—in direct violation of state law, which establishes a priority system for water use.
The soil dried. Crops failed. Planting became impossible.
After numerous attempts to reach a compromise with the Department, and over a year under a near-total prohibition on pumping water, the Binghams partnered with PLF attorneys in filing a lawsuit to save their family farm and restore the lawful, predictable water rights framework Idaho farmers need to steward resources, grow food, and plan for the future.
PLF urges Congress to enact bipartisan permitting reform bill
On Wednesday, a bipartisan group of Senate committee chairs and ranking members released the text of the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act of 2026, a bill to reform federal permitting processes.
PLF federal policy manager John Nagle applauded the effort, encouraging Congress to pass the bill without delay: “Americans should not have to navigate years of costly and unpredictable government processes simply to build a home, develop new energy resources, or create the infrastructure our communities need.”
Minnesota law forces boat wrap maker to fund its competitors
Each year, hundreds of thousands of Americans cover their boats in plastic shrink wrap to guard against the elements of harsh winters. In the spring, much of that plastic is peeled off and sent to landfills, where it sits for centuries before decomposing.
When Simon Milne noticed this annual cycle, he set out to find a better way—eventually founding bioaqualife and launching bioWRAP, a landfill-biodegradable shrink film designed to replace conventional plastic wrap.
Now, instead of focusing on growing his company, Simon has found himself at the center of a federal lawsuit challenging a Minnesota scheme that effectively locked his business out of the state—unless he pays for his competitors’ recycling program.
Quick Hits
- New report: FinCEN’s Financial Surveillance of Real Estate Transactions
- Washington Examiner: Women’s birth freedom shouldn’t require a judge’s order
- The Center Square: Looking to increase your state’s employment? Reduce regulation
- New case: Grand Canyon tour company fights unauthorized fee threatening its business
