Seattle Law Hawks PLLC

02/10/2022

An important piece of creating a racially fair justice system is removing people like this from positons of power.

Lesley Haskell, the wife of Spokane County Prosecuting Attorney Larry Haskell, has embraced white supremacy, and undermined her husband's office and reputation, according to legal ethicists and civil libertarians.

12/02/2021

Crime prediction software is being used all over the US, but does it make YOU any safer?

Millions of crime predictions left on an unsecured server show PredPol mostly avoided Whiter neighborhoods, targeted Blacks and Latino neighborhoods.

10/18/2021

"Just because you have a constitutional right to do something doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s smart." - Michael Magner, criminal defense lawyer and former federal prosecutor.

Some of the defendants charged in the storming of the U.S. Capitol are turning away defense lawyers and electing to represent themselves, undeterred by their lack of legal training or repeated warnings from judges.

08/18/2021

That the police lied to get a conviction is not at all surprising. That the prosecutor has filed charges is.

After DNA seemingly cleared Anthony Wright in 2013, Philadelphia prosecutors and police retried him, but a jury acquitted him in less than an hour

08/16/2021

Interesting article about police shootings in rural communities.

The surprisingly high rate of fatal police shootings in rural America.

08/03/2021

Laboratories that control the results that affect people's future should not be managed, overseen and run by law enforcement. Receiving tens of hours of "training" by other law enforcement agencies does not a scientist make. Lab techs with undergrads in science do not fill this gap. According to the National Science Foundation, these labs need to be independently operated by scientists with advanced degrees and no connection to law enforcement.

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/washingtons-toxicology-lab-ran-tests-in-space-contaminated-by-meth-possibly-jeopardizing-cases/?utm_source=marketingcloud&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=BNA_072521185543+Cases+in+jeopardy+after+Washington%e2%80%99s+toxicology+lab+ran+tests+in+a+space+contaminat_7_25_2021&utm_term=

06/25/2021

In many States restoring gun rights or expunging convictions is an overly complicated. Hiring an attorney is the only way many can navigate the process, so many choose not to do anything. Making this process simpler is a good step forward. You can still choose to hire an attorney if you don't feel like spending your time on other projects, but you shouldn't have to.

- Following George Floyd’s murder, NIKE and Metropolitan Public Defender, Oregon’s largest trial-level public defense service provider, became unlikely partners to improve Oregon’s expungement s

06/24/2021

https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20210619/12311147021/iowas-top-court-says-cops-cant-search-peoples-garbage-without-warrant.shtml

Pretty much everywhere in the United States it's accepted that if the public has access, law enforcement has access. This is the legal theory behind things like automatic license plate readers (anyone can see a license plate), utility...

06/11/2021

Many of the country's government run crime labs cannot even meet the basic requirements necessary for accreditation.

The independent lab is under a criminal investigation following allegations that its managers pressured employees to alter their findings.

06/10/2021

https://reason.com/2021/06/10/gorsuch-pushes-stronger-fourth-amendment-protections/

Can a cop enter a suspect's home without a warrant if they're in pursuit and have probable cause to believe the suspect has committed a misdemeanor?

06/08/2021

06/06/2021

"The government would have us believe that if two drug addicts jointly and simultaneously purchase methamphetamine and return home to smoke it together, a 'distribution' has occurred each time the addicts pass the pipe back and forth to each other. Such an interpretation diverts punishment from traffickers to addicts, who contribute to the drug trade only as end users and who already suffer disproportionally from its dangerous effects."

The case is a good reminder of the far-reaching effects of the war on drugs.