If you have ever had questions about how to cite something a legal pleading you have no doubt turned to the Bluebook for help. You can get access to the physical copy in the law library or you can subscribe to the electronic copy online. However, the Bluebook website is now offering some helpful tips for citations that cost nothing. Check it out and happy writing!
The King County Council voted unanimously (9-0) today to restore funding to the King County Law Library for operation of the sole branch of the library located at the Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent. The Law Library received a 50% cut in funding for 2009 and now this funding is restored in the 2010 Budget year.
The commitment of the Council to this issue is clear through the language in the Budget Ordinance:
“Superior court and Judicial Administration: This budget allocates funding from the MIDD sales tax to sustain vital services in the superior court. This budget allows for the continued operation of the second King County Law Library at the Norm Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent, as law libraries are vital services for citizens without attorneys, known as pro se defendants, and their families.”
Thanks go out to everyone who spoke up on our behalf at public hearings or wrote e-mails and letters to their Councilmembers. We could not have done it without your support! As our KCLL Board of Trustees President, Judge Yu stated: “We firmly believe that as long as there are court hearings being held in this courthouse, there needs to be a law library.”
We received critical support from the Washington State Bar Association, K ing County Bar Association, Minority Bar Associations and many members of the public and legal community.
One of our Pro Se patrons testified at the Public Hearing in Kent and I believe she said it best: “The Library is not a luxury but a necessity of life. It is a place to obtain information and as Thomas Jefferson said ‘Information is the currency of democracy.’”
The Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner has put together a Q&A page about wind damage and insurance coverage.
If you have not visited the Insurance Commissioner website before, it has a lot of great information on all sorts of insurance topics. There is information on filing a complaint against an insurance company, pages on describing the different types of insurance, and links to relevant RCW and WAC sections dealing with insurance, among other things.
An initiative is basically a proposal for a new law. Initiatives are put on the ballot by petition. A valid petition to force an initiative to a vote needs to have valid signatures of legal voters equal to at least 8% of the number of voters registered and voting for the governor in the last regular gubernatorial election. RCW 29A.72.150
There are two types of initiatives: Initiatives to the People and Initiatives to the Legislature. Initiatives to the People are submitted for a vote in the next general election, if certified to have sufficient signatures. As stated in the code, these measures must be submitted to the Secretary of State at least 10 months before the election to which they are being submitted; the signatures must be submitted to the Secretary of State at least 4 month prior.
Initiatives to the Legislature are submitted to the legislature in the next regular session, if certified. The legislators can either adopt the initiative as proposed; reject or refuse the initiative (which means it must be places on ballot at the next state general election); or propose an alternate initiative (which means the old and the new initiative must be submitted to the people in the next state general election). According to the code of Washington, these measures must be submitted to the Secretary of State at least 10 months before the next regular session of the legislature to which they are being submitted; the signatures must be submitted to the Secretary of State not less than 10 days prior.
Once the petition is certified, the initiative requires a majority vote to become law. The Initiative goes into effect after thirty days.
For more information on the Initiative and Referendum process, please see Handbook for Filing Initiatives and Referenda in WA State, Chapter 29A.72 of the RCW, and the Secretary of State website.
A referendum is, essentially, a revision to an already passed law. Referenda are put on the ballot by petition. A valid petition to force a referendum on any portion of any act of the legislature needs to have valid signatures of legal voters equal to at least 4% of the number of voters registered and voting for the governor in the last regular gubernatorial election. RCW 29A.72.150
There are two types of referenda: Referendum Measures and Referendum Bills. Referendum Measures are laws recently passed by the Legislature that the people have petitioned to be placed on the ballot for a vote. Referendum Bills are proposed laws that the Legislature wants the people to vote on. As stated in the code, a referendum must be filed within 90 days of the adjournment of legislative session at which it was passed. “It may be submitted at the next general statewide election or at a special election ordered by the legislature.”
Once the petition is certified, it takes a majority vote for a referendum to become law. As stated in the Washington constitution, a referendum goes into effect thirty days later.
For more information on the Initiative and Referendum process, please see Handbook for Filing Initiatives and Referenda in WA State, Chapter 29A.72 of the RCW, and the Secretary of State website.
In this episode of KCLL’s Sidebar, Rick talks about the process of e-filing in King County Superior Court and the most frequent questions the library receives regarding this new system. Craig, in his “Reel Verdict” segment, reviews a documentary he recently watched called “The Trials of Law School”. This movie follows the lives of law students as they negotiate the theories and practice of law in a school setting.
We are developing a two-part class to provide training on how to use the King County Superior Court’s E-Filing system. There will be two 45-minute sessions on Wednesdays and Fridays beginning December 2nd. Part One will cover how to navigate around the E-Filing site, how to set up an account, how to begin a new case and related topics. Part Two will go over how to add files to an existing case, technical issues concerning document preparation, and other troubleshooting topics. Following each 45-minute session, there will be 15 minutes for optional hands-on practice and questions.
The class is free of charge. Due to limited seating, pre-registration is required. All class sessions will be held in the Legal Research and Training Center in the Seattle library on the sixth floor of the King County Courthouse at 516 3rd Avenue, Suite W621. Call the Library at 206-296-0940 to sign up.
Part 1:
Wednesday, December 2nd 12:15 pm-1:00 pm (Class is full)
Wednesday, December 9th 5:15-6:00 pm
Wednesday, December 16th 12:15 pm-1:00 pm
Part 2:
Friday, December 4th 12:15 pm-1:00 pm
Friday, December 11th 5:15-6:00 pm
Friday, December 18th 12:15 pm-1:00 pm
The 2009 elections are over and people are giving their opinions on who took the election. Are you wondering where to find out who actually won in Washington state?
The Secretary of State is the source for Washington’s official election results. Under Washington law, the Secretary of State has until the thirtieth day after the election to certify results. For the current election, that day is December 3, 2009.
So, until December 3, there are no official Washington state election results. However, you can find the current election tally here until the Secretary of State certifies the results.
As I was preparing an order for CLE materials for the library, I noticed that the Washington State Trial Laywers Association has changed its name. WSTLA is now the Washington State Association for Justice. According to the press release, WSTLA feels that the name change best captures their mission.
Also changing their name this year is the Northwest Women’s Law Center. NWWLC is now known as Legal Voice. Check out their new websites.
King County Elections has created a way for you to track your mail-in ballot and confirm that your vote counted. By going to their website and clicking on the Mail Ballot Tracking link, you can enter your name and date of birth and see where your ballot is in the counting process.