KCLL Klues: Washington State Legal Research

The ACLU of Washington has created a brochure highlighting a new law (HB 1517) concerning restoration of voting rights for individuals convicted of felonies. The new law went into effect July 26, 2009. Voting rights are automatically restored for people who were convicted of felonies in Washington state court and who are no longer under the authority of the Department of Corrections – this means out of prison and not in community custody. The brochure also discusses payment of legal financial obligations and Certificate of Discharge.

If you’ve ever felt the urge to complain about your boss/landlord/etc. on Twitter, you might want to think again. A woman in Chicago is being sued for defamation based on a Tweet she wrote. The Plaintiff is asking for $50,000 plus court costs. Marian Wang of the Chicago Bar-Tender is one of a growing number of bloggers who are following the case. Her post also includes a link to the complaint that was filed in Cook County Circuit Court.

This case is just one of the many examples we highlight in our popular Public Sleuthing on Social Networks. Our next class coming up in August is full but keep your eyes open for class dates this fall!

Have you ever had a question about a traffic law such as: “Is it legal to drive with flip flops?”. The answer is yes (though not recommended) according to State Patrol spokesman Cliff Pratt. The time to get those questions answered is NOT after you get pulled over.

Consider consulting these blogs: Bumper to Bumper from the Seattle Times and the Seattlepi.com’s Getting There and Seattle 9-1-1 blogs.

Beyond reporting slow traffic lights and poor signage, these blogs consult law enforcement sources to get answers for reader questions on tricky questions like right turns on red and how far you have to move your car when reparking in a restricted-time zone.

The Arlington Times reports on a man who was called to jury duty despite the fact that he had been dead since 2005. It seems he did not get stricken from the rolls of those to be called. “Jury duty rolls are drawn from random number polls of voter registration, licensing and state-issued ID cards, and … it is possible for dead people to receive jury duty summonses.”

My spouse believes that you get called to jury duty when you get a library card – as I have been called numerous times and he has never been called. Funny, dear!

In this episode of KCLL’s SideBar we present Part 2 of Seattle attorney George Sjursen’s interview of President Richard Nixon’s youngest brother, Edward Nixon, who has written a book titled, The Nixons: A Family Portrait. Also, our resident movie critic, Craig Burgess, returns with his Reel Verdict review of Robert Greenwald’s biography of Abbie Hoffman, Steal This Movie.

Listen to Episode 32
Links for Episode 32

The King County Law Library just received a new book titled Selling Your House in a Tough Market: 10 Strategies That Work, from Nolo Publishing. Since it is a possibility that I may have to do this in the near future, I decided to see if it contained any helpful information. The book has 10 chapters, the 10 strategies that work, I guess. Each chapter introduces an “advisor” on the topic, from realtors to home stagers to home inspectors. Much of the advice is common sense, but some of the reminders can be useful. You can find the book here in our library or look for it in the Seattle Public Library or the King County Library System.

Here are the call numbers you will need to find it on the shelf.
KCLL’s Call #: HD 259 .B73 2009
SPL’s Call #: 643.12097 B7393S 2009
KCLS’s Call #: 643.120973 BRA

Yesterday I mentioned the legal related podcasts that I like. I was told that I might have missed one,  Nolo Presents the Law in Plain English. Actually, we have included a link to these podcasts in our Self-Help Resource Links for a long time. I simply forgot to include this podcast. I have to admit I do not regularly listen to the podcasts as I have not added them to my iTunes list, so I have to remember to visit the site. But if you want to know about everything from surviving foreclosure to screening tenants, this podcast is very helpful. I won’t forget to mention it next time.

We publish our own podcasts as KCLL’s SideBar and I often get asked what legal related podcasts I listen to myself. Many of the podcasts I listen to are not legal, but there are some good legal ones that I like.

Of course, one that is great is the Legal Talk Network’s Lawyer 2 Lawyer, with Bob Ambrogi and J. Craig Williams. I try to keep up with them, as they are always topical and interesting. Some of the other podcasts on the Legal Talk Network are also worth listening to, such as, The Kennedy-Mighell Report and their brand new The Paralegal Voice.

I listen to the Supreme Court of Washington’s Blog podcast, as it is always pertinent to our state. The ABA has a Litigation Podcast that contains many good tips for practicing attorneys. The Sacramento County Public Law Library is doing a podcast called Everyday Law, which focuses on California, but could be helpful to Washington users, too.

So if you have not checked these podcasts out, you might want to try them. Of course, do not forget to listen to our podcast, KCLL’s SideBar, where not only do you get interesting interviews or information about legal subjects, but we entertain you with movie reviews, skits and more.

You may have heard of the service PACER ,which provides copies of federal case dockets online for $.8 a page.  PACER is good because you can search by name in multiple federal district, appellate and supreme court levels.  However, if you already have the docket number you can pull up the docket on a new service called www.freecourtdockets.com. This company is supported by advertisement so they can offer the free access to the docket information.   It provides access to U.S. District Civil and Criminal court dockets as well as Bankruptcy Court dockets. 

They will adding the U.S. Federal Court of Claims and International Court of Trade, U.S. Court of Appeals, and the U.S. Supreme Court in the coming months.  They also provide some links on the main page to cases which are “Hot Dockets” or cases of popularity like “Geronimo v. Obama” where descendants of Geronimo are suing Obama, Yale University, and the student group “Order of Skull and Bones” over rights to the remains of Geronimo.  These and other cases are linked on the main page. 

You will still need to access the main PACER site in order to see copies of any document mentioned in the docket and the site will automatically take you to the District of your case on PACER when you are ready for viewing those documents.  

Get free legal advice on the third Thursday of every month if you have been in Foster, group or kinship care and are 17-23 years old.   If you have legal issues such as housing, benefits, employment, family law, debt/credit, identity theft or driving license issues, then you will want to contact this new service.  

The clinic is held at the YMCA Center for Young Adults at 2100 24th Ave. South, Seattle, WA , from 4-6 pm.  If you call and make an appointment, they will guarantee to see you, or you can drop in and they will do their best to fit you in.  The service will find you a lawyer who will try and help you with your problem either on the phone or in person, and can, if necessary, represent you in any negotiations or in court.

To make an appointment call  (206) 696-7503 (ext.17) or e-mail: LFIintake@ccyj.org.