Seattle Justice by Christopher Bayley Book recommendation by Celeste Stokes, Past President, WCHS This book is a fascinating expose of Seattle’s not-so-remote politically corrupt history, which in many ways mirrors the origin story of Seattle or maybe just a less…
The following contains remarks by Justice Montoya-Lewis at the Washington State Supreme Court Minority and Justice Symposium: Introduction to the Film “Sugarcane.” Condensed and Edited for Publication Good morning, everyone and I want to thank all of the young people…
WHO was that Washington Supreme Court Justice? Charles H. Sheldon, A Century of Judging: A Political History of the Washington Supreme Court (WSU Press, 1988); Charles H. Sheldon, The Washington High Bench: A Biographical History of the State Supreme Court,…
Island County Courthouse – Coupeville Celeste Stokes, Past President, WCHS & David Peterson This article looks at the oldest standing building ever occupied as a courthouse in Washington. On Whidbey Island, Coupeville is one of Washington’s oldest towns, and is…
BOOK REVIEW: Justice William O. Douglas, The Court Years 1939-1975 William O. Douglas, Jr., looks at his father, William O. Douglas, Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. The two were photographed shortly after Douglas was sworn in as Justice.…
Presented this summer by MOHAI Mandela: The Official Exhibition by Leonard Garfield, Executive Director, Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI) In December 1999, Nelson Mandela visited Seattle just days after the tumultuous World Trade Organization protests. In contrast to the…
Yakima County Courthouse The 1883 Yakima County Courthouse, which burned down in 1905. (Photo courtesy of Yakima Valley Museum) by David Peterson and Celeste Stokes, WCHS Board Members The present Yakima County Courthouse complex at the corner of North Second…
Book Review: Arthur S. Beardsley, The Bench and Bar of Washington: The First Fifty Years (1849-1900) (Available at: ) By Hugh Spitzer One of the most amazing and lively sources of information about early Washington judges and lawyers is Dr.…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Jefferson County Courthouse – Port Townsend, Washington Jefferson County, created in 1852, initially rented premises in Port Townsend for use as a courthouse. In the late 19th century, the ca. 1874 two-story commercial building still standing downtown at 226 Adams…
Evolution of Voting Rights in Washington State by Leonard Garfield When Isaac Stevens became Washington Territory’s first governor in 1853—one of the earliest signs of American government in our region—no one who lived here cast a vote for him. No…
History of the Temple of Justice by David Peterson & Celeste Stokes In 1911 Walter R. Wilder and Harry K. White, architects from New York, submitted the winning design for a group of buildings to comprise the state Capitol Campus,…
The Courts of the Washington Territory: 1853- 1889 by Gerry L. Alexander, Chief Justice of the Washington State Supreme Court (retired) Prior to 1846, our nation’s claim to the geographical area that later became the Washington Territory was very much…
Second Editions of the Common Law: Bracton, Coke and Blackstone The Washington State Law Library has a large collection of British legal treatises, statutes, and case reporters published between the 1500s and the 1970s. Although we no longer actively collect…
News from the Washington Courts Historical Society The Washington Courts Historical Society (WCHS) was founded by Justice Gerry Alexander and Justice Philip Talmadge, to promote a greater public understanding of the significance of the courts in Washington State history. We…
Columbia County Courthouse – Dayton, Washington The Columbia County Courthouse in Dayton is Washington’s oldest. Completed in 1886 and put into use in 1887, the building is only a few years younger than the county, which was carved from Walla…
Book Review – “A Fighting Life” A moving tribute to the extraordinary life of a man who is best defined through a lifetime of service to the cause of equality, Jim Kershner’s book “A Fighting Life” details the humble beginning…
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