To honor the interconnectedness of my two geekdoms – science fiction/fantasy, and the law – I present to you my blog, where I will discuss both in… relatively equal measure. It’s an experiment, to be sure, but what would science be without experimentation!
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Which makes it both ironic and frustrating to learn how poorly Seattle Police officers handle domestic violence incidents.
On May 9th, Governor Jay Inslee signed into law SB 5599, removing certain barriers to transgender youth finding safe shelter in Washington.
Dungeons & Dragons is a fun multiplayer Tabletop Role-Playing Game (TTRPG) that gets your creative juices flowing. But now a study by Seattle-based research organization Foundry10 has shown something even better — Dungeons & Dragons can help kids build social-emotional skills!
It is a sadly common occurrence among job seekers. They search job listings looking for potential employment. They see openings that appear to fit their skills and interest. Yet despite detailing all the requirements the employer has for the applicants, the ad provides little to no information about the benefits the applicant can expect to get in return. Perhaps just a vague reference to “competitive” pay and benefits based upon experience.
Equifax is in the news this week for having send lenders incorrect credit scores for millions of people this spring. The full details are not yet known, but it appears that about 12% of all credit scores released from March 17 to April 6 may have been incorrect — some by as much as 25 points or more.
When it comes to advancements in technology, courts are rarely on the forefront of adoption. Take our courts in Washington, for example. At one extreme, some counties have had robust e-filing systems for years. At the other extreme, some counties have no e-filing at all, and are reluctant to accept filings in any manner other than physically hand delivered to the clerk. This kind of patchwork approach similarly occurs with things like online access to case dockets and files, equipment available for use (or not) for trials, and so on.
In the recent unanimous decision of State v. Zamora, the Court did not mince words in its finding that a prosecutor committed misconduct by appealing to the jurors’ potential racial or ethnic biases, prejudices, or stereotypes during jury selection.
Today is the day for observing the federal holiday of Juneteenth (June 19th). As an official federal holiday it still remains new — having been approved last year by President Biden. But its history goes back much much further than that.
In a stunning display of the racism and bigotry that remains systemic and tolerated within law enforcement, the City of Kent recently agreed to pay more than $1.52 million dollars to make Assistant Chief Derek Kammerzell go away.
As a white American reform Jew, I have the privilege of not experiencing discrimination on a regular basis. When I walk down the street, no one can tell I’m Jewish just by looking at me. But growing up Jewish has given me a unique perspective into discrimination.
