Teach with HistoryLink

Introduction

What happens when someone believes their rights have been violated, and they take the case all the way to the state’s highest court? In this inquiry, students explore how people in Washington State have used the legal system to defend and define civil liberties such as free speech, equal protection, privacy, and religious freedom. Through real court cases argued before the Washington State Supreme Court, students examine how laws are challenged, what the justices consider, and how decisions shape what rights mean in everyday life. This inquiry helps students see the Washington State Constitution not just as a document, but as a living set of principles tested by real people and real problems.

HistoryLink Articles

Washington State Supreme Court Cases

•  American Civil Liberties Union of Washington
• York v. Wahkiakum: Washington State Supreme Court decision issued on March 12, 2008, holds that suspicionless drug testing of student athletes is unconstitutional.
• Boldt Decision: United States v. State of Washington
• State Supreme Court issues a narrow ruling regarding treaty fishing rights in State of Washington v. Robert Satiacum on July 1, 1957.
• Sohappy, David (1925-1991)

Court of Appeals

• Washington State Court of Appeals affirms the legality of the Uncle Sam billboard near Chehalis on December 20, 1979.

Further Reading

United States Supreme Court Cases that Originated in Washington

• Hirabayashi, Gordon K. (1918-2012)
• U.S. Supreme Court in Tulee v. Washington upholds some Native American treaty fishing rights on March 30, 1942.
• U.S. Supreme Court strikes down loyalty oaths for Washington state employees on June 1, 1964.
• Supreme Court rules in the Japanese Immigrant Case, Yamataya v. Fisher, on April 6, 1903.
• World War II Incarceration of Japanese Americans in Washington.