Democrat Attorney General Nick Brown is once again dragging Washington into court against President Donald Trump—this time to fight new mail-ballot safeguards requiring citizenship lists, voter eligibility information, secure ballot envelopes and tracking barcodes.

Brown portrays the lawsuit as a defense of Washington voters. But there’s a bigger story his press release leaves out: this is now the 73rd case Washington has filed against the Trump administration, according to Brown’s own litigation tracker, with Brown leading or co-leading 25 of them.

And that litigation obsession isn’t free. Records reported earlier this year showed AGO employees had already logged more than 34,000 staff hours on Trump-related lawsuits since November 2024—the equivalent of nearly four years of work for one person.

There’s also the substance of what Brown is fighting. Trump’s order calls for citizenship verification in federal elections, state-specific eligibility lists, secure ballot envelopes and unique USPS barcodes for tracking ballots. Brown calls that an “attack” on voting, apparently preferring another courtroom battle to explaining why verifying eligibility and securing mail ballots are somehow unreasonable demands.

Brown insists “states control elections,” but Washington Democrats apparently believe that principle also comes with a standing reservation at federal court whenever Trump proposes an election-integrity measure they dislike.

Pierce County Sheriff Keith Swank is fighting back against Amendment 53, the November ballot measure that would abolish the elected sheriff position, cut Swank’s voter-approved term short by two years, and hand the power to select the sheriff to County Executive Ryan Mello, subject to County Council confirmation.

Swank filed his own citizen initiative Wednesday that would clarify the sheriff as an independently elected office and allow the sheriff to hire independent legal counsel. It couldn’t reach voters until 2027—and only matters if Amendment 53 fails first.

The fight comes after Pierce County voters elected Swank to a four-year term in 2024. Apparently, letting voters choose their own sheriff was fine right up until the political establishment decided it didn’t particularly like the sheriff they chose.

Swank even pointed to one unlikely supporter: a man who voted against him in 2024 showed up for Wednesday’s filing because, while he still doesn’t support Swank, he does support keeping his right to elect the sheriff. Read more at Seattle Red.

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson is facing growing heat from her own City Council after the Public Safety Committee demanded she explain—in writing, as required by the city charter—why former Police Chief Shon Barnes was pushed out.

Councilmember Bob Kettle said the issue goes beyond Barnes, warning that ignoring the charter raises questions about whether Wilson respects the oath she took as mayor. He also delivered an even more damaging assessment of Wilson’s handling of public safety: “There is no plan now.” According to Kettle, City Hall lacks an overarching public safety strategy, while communication between the mayor and council is “fraught.”

Meanwhile, the Office of Inspector General is investigating the city’s response to the Bite of Seattle shooting—and Kettle stressed that the investigation includes Wilson and her office, not merely SPD.

Wilson came into office promising Seattle’s progressive approach to public safety would work. Now she’s lost her police chief, has councilmembers questioning whether she’s following the city charter, and apparently still hasn’t gotten around to the pesky task of developing an actual public safety plan. Read more at MyNorthwest.com.

Seattle families hoping Democrats’ education establishment might focus on actually getting kids into classrooms can think again. Roughly 90% of Seattle Education Association members voted Wednesday to authorize a strike if the union and Seattle Public Schools can’t reach a deal before classes begin Sept. 2.

More than 50 bargaining issues remain unresolved, including pay and class sizes, with the current contract expiring Aug. 31. Teachers say Seattle’s soaring cost of living is making it increasingly difficult to get by—which is an awkward reminder that decades of Democrat rule have helped make Seattle brutally expensive for just about everyone.

And parents have seen this movie before. Seattle teachers last walked out in 2022, delaying school for a week. Now, just four years later, families are once again staring down the possibility that the adults running Seattle’s taxpayer-funded education system won’t manage to open the doors on time. Read more at KUOW.

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