Stories from the ACLU of Washington

The Seattle Police Department has repeatedly failed to meet its own deadlines for producing records we requested seven months ago related to the SPD’s handling of Black Lives Matters/Ferguson protests held in November 2014.

Yakima held its first election under the City Council district system created by an ACLU-WA lawsuit. Many people in new majority-Latino districts who didn’t vote in the last primary cast ballots this year – showing citizens will participate in elections when they have a meaningful opportunity to do so.

The ACLU of Washington is calling on San Juan County Public Hospital District No. 1  to comply with Washington’s Reproductive Privacy (RPA) Act and enable women to obtain vital reproductive healthcare services.  The ACLU has written to the District asking it to change its policies and practices to fulfill its obligations under state law.

The impact of the ACLU-WA’s successful voting rights suit was apparent in Yakima’s primary election as a record number of Latino candidates ran for City Council.

In 2002, Alex Salas was a carpenter climbing scaffolding at a work site on a wet day in October when he slipped and fell more than 20 feet. He suffered 10 fractures and underwent 13 surgeries, and sued the contractor who was responsible for his injuries. At the first trial in 2006, the contractor was ruled negligent as a matter of law but the jury refused to award any damages to Mr. Salas. At a second trial that ended a few weeks ago, the jury awarded over $2.5 million in damages. Why the difference?