Washington State courts are designed to act as the ultimate backstop against unconstitutional overreach. When civil statutes are weaponized to silence individuals, muzzle free expression, or insulate public figures from scrutiny, it is the fundamental duty of the judiciary to recognize the threat and uphold the Constitution. In Kitsap County,

The First Amendment survived another coordinated attack in Washington State. Yesterday afternoon, Kitsap County Superior Court Judge Houser definitively shot down Benjamin Mavy’s egregious second attempt to impose an unconstitutional prior restraint on The Olympic Herald. Despite presenting himself as a victim, Mavy’s actions in court constituted a

For months, The Olympic Herald has exposed the deeply entrenched “good ol’ boys” network operating within the Clallam County Superior Court. We have documented how Judge Brent Basden—currently under investigation by the Washington State Commission on Judicial Conduct—has repeatedly shielded alleged abusers, empowered his close friends with taxpayer-

“Don’t worry. We’re all keeping an eye on you.” Those were the chilling words spoken not by a trained adult administrator or a sworn law enforcement officer, but by a middle school track athlete to a fellow teammate during a championship meet in Joyce last week. According to

Local law enforcement apprehended a 43-year-old man on a fully extraditable warrant in connection with a 2008 double homicide in Concord, North Carolina. Johnny S. Talbert was taken into custody without incident in the 2300 block of W 18th Street by Port Angeles Police Department officers, with location

A violent 2022 crime spree in West Seattle that ended in a nearly 60-year prison sentence recently made its way to the Washington State Court of Appeals, asking justices to answer complex questions about racial bias, jury selection, and the limits of the state’s anti-discrimination rules. The

Patrick Alan Bucknum, a former healthcare executive and high-ranking local leader for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has been federally charged with wire fraud following allegations that he embezzled more than $30 million from his employer. In April 2019, Bucknum was called to serve as

A massive multi-agency search and rescue operation is currently underway in the waters near Point Wilson after an individual reportedly fell overboard from a 12-foot vessel. The U.S. Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound initiated the public alert, stating that they are actively searching the vicinity for the

A Washington State substitute teacher has had his credentials suspended for a minimum of six months following a series of disturbing comments directed at high school students, according to a recent disciplinary order issued by the state’s Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. State documents reveal that Ethan Whitney,

Four months after the Clallam County Superior Court was forced to abruptly terminate Family Court Commissioner Brian Parker in the wake of a highly public scandal, the court has finally named his replacement. But for the families relying on the local justice system, the new appointment offers little relief. Lorraine

Longview Public Schools Superintendent Karen Cloninger was arrested Thursday morning on felony and misdemeanor charges in connection with an ongoing police investigation into a reported sexual assault case involving students at Mark Morris High School. The Longview Police Department confirmed the 9:26 a.m. arrest in a statement, noting

In a case that strikes at the heart of systemic judicial failures and the rights of domestic violence survivors, Melissa Strawn is taking her fight to the Washington State Court of Appeals. On May 11, 2026, Strawn filed an exhaustive 83-page appellate brief seeking to overturn devastating King County

Every month, the financial lifeblood of Washington’s 295 school districts flows from the state capital into local bank accounts. It is the money that fuels school operations and ensures that teachers, cafeteria workers, and custodians receive their paychecks. For the 2023-2025 biennium, that flow amounts to $30 billion.

A 38-year-old Port Orchard man is facing multiple charges after deputies say he crashed his SUV into a ditch, struck neighborhood property, and fled the scene to seek medical treatment early Tuesday morning. According to the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to the 3700 block of

A sweeping, 148-page civil lawsuit has laid bare the alleged origins of the scandals surrounding disgraced former Clallam County Superior Court Commissioner Brian Parker. The First Amended Complaint, filed by domestic violence survivor Gina Bloom, accuses Parker and prominent Everett attorneys Damon Canfield and Jennifer Bitner of orchestrating a

A 42-year-old Mason County man was arrested Tuesday in connection with an ongoing Internet Crimes Against Children investigation, according to the Mason County Sheriff’s Office. The suspect was taken into custody without incident at his place of employment Tuesday afternoon. Following the arrest, detectives served a search

A ruling from the Washington State Court of Appeals has cleared the way for a King County family to sue The Boeing Company, holding that employers can be held liable for injuries to a worker’s not-yet-conceived child. In a published opinion filed yesterday, Division I of the

A sprawling child exploitation investigation that rocked Clark County has now spilled into civil court. Two lawsuits accuse multiple Kaiser Permanente entities of ignoring decades of warning signs surrounding a deceased local pediatrician. Dr. Michael R. Wilmington, who authorities say took his own life in Lewis County on May 2

The Washington State Court of Appeals reversed the convictions of a Grant County man for child rape, molestation, and incest today, ruling that a trial judge violated the “appearance of fairness doctrine” by failing to disclose allegations that a local victim advocate signaled to the child witnesses while they testified.

In another victory for transparency and the First Amendment, visiting Kitsap County Judge Houser has delivered another blow to Benjamin Mavy’s attempt to orchestrate his censorship campaign in the shadows. On May 14, 2026, Judge Houser granted The Olympic Herald’s request to bring a camera crew into the

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is heading to federal court this summer to defend a legal position that has stunned child advocates and survivors alike: the assertion that the institution had “no legal duty” to intervene and protect a child from sexual abuse. A scheduling order