Activist King County Superior Court judge Sandra Widlan owes her job to former governor and halfwit miscreant Jay Inslee. Widlan has been a longtime contributor to a virtual who’s who of lefty politicians in WA state.
Under one party rule in Olympia, over the past 12 years, it has become custom for judges to step down before their term is up so the governor can appoint a successor and then the new judge can run as an incumbent with all the benefits that accrue. In WA state that means running virtually unchallenged and unopposed and an almost sure win should some fool dare to challenge the overlord patronage system.
This is true of our “legal hero“ Judge Winland. Her predecessor stepped down in March of 2018 magically before her term was up and Gov. Jay Miscreant Inslee appointed Winland to the position on the King county superior court.
The proceedings today were a legal challenge brought against I-2066, You will remember that 2066 gathered the second most signatures ever for an initiative in WA state history. Effectively, the initiative prevents the state from making natural gas illegal. Protecting those in snow country, in times of electrical power outages, and those who cannot afford to upgrade all the appliances in their home, It also protects Indian Food, Chinese Food, Japanese Food, Mexican Food and most anything else with decent flavor that relies on natural gas. Don’t get me started on BBQ.
On Friday, this activist judge ruled that the people are too stupid to know what they are signing and therefore the law is to be thrown out. Her ruling made three points:
- The initiative was actually two subjects rather than one. The first subject was that the initiative would permit the use of gas, but nefariously hidden in the rest of the initiative was a second subject that would restrict the states ability to address air pollution. —— This is straight up nonsense. The judge is making up a second subject and I can assure you that no close reading of the law would reveal any such restriction on the state.
- Her next point was that the ballot title (written by the Attorney General’s office) did not clearly state that allowing natural gas would have a negative impact on climate change. — Where do we begin with this whopper? A)Did i mention that the AG‘s office actually wrote the ballot title? B) Did i mention that as a delay tactic, the same lefty lawyers bringing this lawsuit challenged the ballot title and then agreed themselves with the AG on the changes that were made and as it was actually presented to the voter? C) unsubstantiated judicial supposition from the bench much?
- The third and final point made up by this activist Judge was that I- 2066 through law, promoted a policy of using natural gas and that this conflicted with state policy developed by bureaucrats that opposed the use of natural gas. In other words, her concern was that this law conflicted with policy—- Uh yeah, that is exactly the point!!!!!
Jay Inslee, his half-wit self attended the hearing and I am told that his influence on the court was readily apparent and that it was clear from the moment he walked in that the fix was in. Knowing glances and chum chummery. In a hearing that lasted only 40 minutes (20 minutes by each side) the Judge somehow miraculously was able to prepare an 8 page laborious ruling (pinky swears she didn’t make this ruling before hearing arguments). I am told the entire proceeding felt like it was just for show.
I am also told that as final insult to injury, the judge, in a highly unusual and unorthodox practice, requested the plaintiffs to essentially write the final ruling and include why they believed 2066 was unconstitutional on her behalf,. This is legally wrong and shameful for the court. But then you have to have some sense of right and wrong to feel shame, which i suspect this judge does not.
What Next?
- When this type of ruling is made , generally it can be appealled directly to the State Supreme Court and precedent is very high that they should accept it.
- The BIAW has clearly stated they will appeal the case
- When the Supreme Court hears the case, they are required to hear it effectively as a new case without prejudice from the previous ruling
Why that matters:
- Judge Widlan was able to ignore and blithely skip over Supreme Court precedence on most of her findings
- The supreme court, however, will not be so readily able or willing to ignore their own precedents that have been set in earlier rulings that go contrary to Judge Widlan’s wild interpretations of law
- this means there is a small glimmer or tiny bit of room for smidgen of hope
Don’t get me wrong, i am not popping any alcohol-free champagne nor am I holding my breath that this supreme court will be any more disciplined but they do face, at least the appearance of hypocrisy if they overrule their own previous rulings that have been used to help left leaning causes in the past.
This is a shameful day for King County Superior Court and evidence #7825 that Jay Inslee does not care a lick for what the people might want or vote for… remember he is the only one that could save us from covid … can we please get a collection going to help him move to his dream home in Idaho….
Brian Heywood, founder of Let’s Go Washington
Brian Heywood is CEO of Taiyo Pacific Partners and founder of Let’s Go Washington.
The organization introduced a record-breaking six citizen initiatives during the 2024 legislative session—three of which were approved by both legislative chambers (the most citizen initiatives ever approved by law makers in state history) and three of which were placed on the ballots for voters’ consideration.
The Heywood-led Let’s Go Washington also teamed up with The Building Industry Association of Washington (BIAW), the Washington Hospitality Association (WHA) and others for a seventh initiative, I-2066, which protects natural gas as an energy source. That initiative was approved by voters during the General Election with 51.7% voting in favor.
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Author: Lynnwood Times Contributor
