domestic violence
U.S. Supreme Court considers case dealing with gun rights and domestic violence
WASHINGTON — U.S. Supreme Court justices during Tuesday’s oral arguments seemed to lean toward upholding a federal law that prevents the possession of firearms by a person who is subject to a domestic violence protective order. Liberal and conservative justices appeared to side with the Biden administration’s position that the 1994 federal law is in […]
Low-income domestic violence survivors face uphill battle in obtaining court-ordered protections
This article is the third in a three-part series from InvestigateWest. If you are in a domestic violence situation, get connected with advocates and resources through the Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence at https://wscadv.org/. Nique showed up to her first court hearing in King County alone. Homeless and without an attorney or victim advocate […]
Why many judges in WA won’t order abusers to turn in guns
This article is the second in a three-part series from InvestigateWest. In June 2019, a woman lay on the floor of a trailer home in Kitsap County, struggling to breathe after her boyfriend, Dwayne Allen Flannery, allegedly beat and choked her. After a neighbor called the police, Flannery was charged with second-degree assault. The county’s […]
In eastern WA, victims seeking protection avoid a judge accused of domestic violence himself
This article is the first in a three-part series from InvestigateWest. In 2021, Marie worried that her son was unsafe at her ex-husband’s home. She went into the county courthouse in Pasco, Washington, and filed a restraining order, thinking she had a good case: There was audio of an alleged assault of her 16-year-old son, […]
Court keeps protective order in place for state lawmaker
A domestic violence restraining order obtained by a state lawmaker against her lobbyist ex-boyfriend will remain in effect under an appellate court ruling issued Monday. Rep. Lauren Davis, a Democrat from Shoreline, obtained a five-year protection order in King County against lobbyist Cody Arledge in May 2022, citing what she said was an escalating pattern […]
Domestic violence law’s supporters see upsides and unfinished work
In the waning hours of their 2023 session, lawmakers pushed through a 43-page bill to strengthen Washington’s safety net for victims in domestic violence cases The legislation takes steps to expand training for cops and judges, toughen requirements on suspects to surrender weapons and deploy special teams to identify and intercede in cases with a […]
Domestic violence shelters move out of hiding
BOZEMAN, Mont. — Sara Young packed a bag of essentials, gathered her kids, and fled her home to a refuge: an old, green house that blended in with the neighborhood in this southwestern Montana city. Nothing about the house identified it as a domestic violence shelter — it was hidden in plain sight. Young wasn’t […]