Washington voters will do more than pick judges this year. They may be choosing the court that ultimately decides whether Democrats’ new 9.9% income tax survives.

Five Washington Supreme Court seats are on the ballot in 2026, with four contested races heading into a crowded August primary. Normally, judicial races attract little attention. This year, however, the stakes are much higher as legal challenges to the state’s new income tax work their way through the courts.

The most controversial races involve newly appointed Justices Colleen Melody and Theo Angelis, both selected by Gov. Bob Ferguson after vacancies opened on the court. Both are now running to keep their seats—and both have deep ties to the Democratic political establishment.

Melody previously worked in Ferguson’s Attorney General’s Office and received endorsements from Ferguson, Attorney General Nick Brown, and every sitting justice. Critics have raised questions about whether justices with close ties to the architects of the income tax should hear cases challenging the law. So far, Melody has not indicated whether she would recuse herself from future tax litigation.

The issue is drawing even more attention because Solicitor General Noah Purcell, who helped develop the legal strategy behind the income tax, has also been a prominent supporter of the court’s current direction. Records obtained by The Center Square show state Democrats openly discussed using the tax to challenge long-standing precedents restricting progressive income taxes in Washington.

Meanwhile, challengers argue the court has become too political and too closely aligned with the state’s Democratic leadership. Several candidates are campaigning on restoring judicial independence and ensuring the court serves as a constitutional check on government power rather than a partner in advancing policy goals.

Officially, candidates cannot discuss cases likely to come before the court. Unofficially, everyone understands what’s at stake.

The fight over Washington’s income tax may ultimately be decided by a court that voters are choosing right now. That’s why a judicial election that would normally fly under the radar is suddenly one of the most important political contests in the state. Read more by Center Square.

More than 200 new Washington laws take effect this week, offering a fresh reminder that when Democrats control Olympia, government never stops growing.

Leading the list is a new tax on health insurance plans to fund abortion services. Democrats insist insurers can’t pass the cost on to consumers, but history suggests businesses usually find a way to recover costs imposed by government mandates. Translation: don’t be surprised if Washington families end up footing the bill anyway.

Democrats also expanded the state’s Voting Rights Act and imposed new “preclearance” requirements on certain local governments seeking to make election-related changes. Democrats call it protecting voting rights. But it’s really just another layer of bureaucracy and legal oversight inserted into local decision-making.

Meanwhile, Democrats tightened restrictions on voter-registration challenges, making it harder to question potentially inaccurate voter registrations. The changes come as concerns about election integrity continue to divide the political landscape, with Democrats focusing on preventing challenges and Republicans focusing on cleaning up voter rolls.

Housing policy took another sharp turn left as Olympia ordered cities to allow homeless housing projects and supportive housing developments in more residential areas, overriding local control and neighborhood objections. Communities that have spent years raising concerns about public safety, crime, and accountability are now being told they have less say over what happens in their own neighborhoods.

Not every new law is controversial. The state created voluntary “blue envelopes” to help autistic and neurodivergent drivers during traffic stops, clarified rules for rounding cash purchases as pennies disappear, and legalized betting on in-state college sports at tribal casinos.

But the overall theme is familiar: more mandates from Olympia, more authority concentrated at the state level, and more decisions taken away from local communities.

For a Legislature that spent the session warning about budget shortfalls and demanding billions in new taxes, lawmakers somehow still found time to expand government into nearly every corner of daily life. Read more at the Washington State Standard.

Washington drivers are getting hammered at the pump, with gas prices hovering around $5.70 per gallon statewide and topping $6 in parts of Seattle. Yet Gov. Bob Ferguson has made one thing clear: don’t blame Olympia.

Instead, Ferguson says frustrated drivers should call President Donald Trump and complain about the conflict in the Middle East.

That’s a convenient talking point, but it ignores a major reality: every state is dealing with the same global oil market, yet Washington remains among the most expensive places in America to buy gas.

The reason isn’t hard to find. Washington drivers pay the nation’s third-highest state gas tax, currently 55.4 cents per gallon, and that tax is set to increase again on July 1. On top of that sits the Climate Commitment Act, Democrats’ cap-and-trade program, which analysts estimate adds another 50-plus cents per gallon to fuel costs.

Republicans have urged Ferguson to temporarily suspend the program to provide immediate relief. State Sen. Chris Gildon argues the move could lower prices by roughly 50 cents per gallon almost overnight. Even analysts who disagree on the politics generally agree that suspending the carbon program would reduce prices.

Ferguson isn’t interested.

Instead, his administration argues the situation does not justify emergency action while continuing to blame international events for the pain at the pump.

The political challenge for the governor is obvious. If global events are entirely responsible, why are Washington drivers consistently paying so much more than drivers in neighboring states facing the exact same world events?

The governor may prefer to talk about foreign wars and Washington, D.C., but drivers filling up their tanks are confronting policies made much closer to home. The war overseas may eventually end. Washington’s carbon surcharge, automatic gas tax increases, and climate mandates will still be waiting at the pump.

And so will the politicians who put them there. Read more at Seattle Red.

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