Book Review: Arthur S. Beardsley, The Bench and Bar of Washington: The First Fifty Years (1849-1900)
Book Review: Arthur S. Beardsley, The Bench and Bar of Washington: The First Fifty Years (1849-1900) (Available at: https://digitalcommons.law.uw.edu/benchbar/) By Hugh Spitzer One of the most amazing and lively sources of information about early Washington judges and lawyers is Dr. Arthur S. Beardsley’s unpublished manuscript, The Bench and Bar of Washington: The First Fifty Years […]
Tribute to Ralph Munro
A Tribute to Ralph Munro, a friend of WCHS. Photo courtesy of Washington State Archives by Al RalstonJuly, 2025 Recently, my friend and former Washington Secretary of State Ralph Munro passed away at 81 years of age. He was a giant in Washington State in so many areas, not because of his Republican Party affiliation […]
The Containment
The Containment: Detroit, the Supreme Court, and the Battle for Racial Justice in the North by Michelle AdamsFarrar, Straus & Giroux, New York: 2025 Reviewed by Michael KingJuly, 2025 [corrected November 2025] So I am standing at a table of “new books” in the Barnes & Noble store on Fifth Avenue, NYC, looking at this […]
Minimum Wage for One, Minimum Wage for All
Minimum Wage for One, Minimum Wage for All By: Sara Fradi, 2L at the Seattle University School of Law, Law Clerk at HWS Law Group In light of the monograph being moved to the Chelan County Courthouse where the West Coast Hotel Co v. Parrish was originally tried, the WSCHS thought a review of the […]
Chelan County Courthouse
Chelan County Courthouse – Wenatchee, Washington By David Peterson & Celeste Stokes Chelan County Courthouse – Wenatchee, Washington Chelan County’s multi-building courthouse complex is located just west of the Wenatchee’s commercial core, at Orondo Avenue and Washington Street. Although the facility has grown over the years, at its heart is a brick and terra-cotta structure […]
Donated Library of Charles Raymond Lewis and Judge A.W. Frater
Donated Library of Charles Raymond Lewis and Judge A.W. Frater Rob Mead, JD, MLS, State Law Librarian One of the sorrows of our digital age is the gradually waning importance of printed books in the life of lawyers. Until recently, books have dominated the life of the law. Thomas Jefferson once wrote: “Books constitute capital. A […]
Where are the Temple of Justice Monographs Now?
Where are the Temple of Justice Monographs Now? When the Temple of Justice was originally envisioned by the architects in the 1920’s, they imagined large murals behind the bench. But unfortunately the project ran out of money when the Temple opened and the mural project sat uncompleted until Justices Alexander, Talmadge and Wiggins undertook this […]
Celeste Stokes awarded 2023 WDTL Community Leadership Award
Celeste Stokes awarded 2023 WDTL Community Leadership Award Celeste Stokes is the recipient of this year’s Community Leadership Award. My name is Gauri Locker, and I’m the WDTL Community Service Committee Chair. Celeste is my friend, mentor, and coworker, and I was proud to nominate her for this award. Celeste is currently out of the […]
Conclusion of Wn.2d and Beginning of Wn.3d
Conclusion of Wn.2d and Beginning of Wn.3d Rob Mead, State Law Librarian Legal publishing in Washington turned to a new chapter on April 18, 2023 with the publication of the first volume of Washington Reports, Third Series. The first case in the new series is Wash. Food Indus. Ass’n v. City of Seattle, 1 Wn.3d […]
King County Superior Court Installs Judicial Service Wall
King County Superior Court Installs Judicial Service Wall If you haven’t visited the King County Courthouse recently, you might be surprised to find a new court history installation in Courtroom E942. On the back wall are inscribed the names and service dates of all King County Superior Court Judges, from the formation of the Court […]