“They can’t undo the consent decree in Seattle,” City Attorney Pete Holmes was reading Sessions’ memo last night.
Holmes had a variety of reactions. He noted the timing of Sessions’ memo. “It is just like his ‘sanctuary cities’ pronouncement last week, coming on a day of bad news for the Trump administration,” said Holmes. (The news broke last night of a secret meeting seeking to establish a back channel between Trump and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin.)
As to Sessions’ memo, said Holmes: …

“Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes said the effects of the executive order have already been felt, with victims in domestic violence cases choosing not to pursue prosecution due to immigration status. He said local governments do not enforce federal immigration laws. Holmes noted that terms like “sanctuary cities” are nebulous and ill defined.

“Instead of the press conferences from Washington, instead of the Tweets from the White House, we want to have a sober statement of the law that can be reassuring to the communities that …

“The City of Seattle is suing the Trump administration over the President’s order to cut all federal funding to so-called “sanctuary cities,” which provide limited protection against deportation for undocumented residents. City Attorney Pete Holmes said that the executive order is both vague and unconstitutional; he wants a federal judge to “nail down” exactly what that order means, and then strike it down. The lawsuit specifically names President Donald Trump, Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly as defendants.”-Casey Jaywork, Seattle …

“On January 25, Trump issued this executive order vowing to yank federal funds from cities that refuse to hand over undocumented immigrants for deportation, and local politicians have remained steadfast in their message that Seattle will remain a sanctuary. Mayor Ed Murray said he is willing to risk “every penny.”

But in determining what the true consequences will be, officials like city attorney Pete Holmes are navigating murky waters, further clouded by unfettered presidential tweets. So they’re looking for answers. As announced at Murray’s State of the City …

Recreational marijuana is legal in Washington state, but it’s illegal to use it publicly. Advocates are now asking our state Legislature to let cities legalize “consumption lounges” where patrons could use pot socially without breaking the law. A plus for pot tourism or a public safety hazard? Should pot parlors go to a public vote? Both sides weigh in.

On the show:
Vicki Christophersen, Exec. Director, WA CannaBusiness Association
Pete Holmes, Seattle City Attorney
Yusuf Kabdi, Somali Community Leader
Daryl King, Owner, Bacon Mansion B&B Cmdr.
Pat Slack, Snohomish Co. Regional …

SEATTLE – Seattle City leaders are promising to fight back against President Trump’s immigration related Executive Orders issues Wednesday, including one that takes aim at so-called Sanctuary cities.

The new administration’s action promises to strip federal grant money from cities that harbor illegal immigrants.

“This is the darkest day in immigration history in America since the internment of the Japanese Americans since the Second World War. Mr. President, I have a message for you. Seattle has been here before, we’ve experienced this dark history before and we …

Holmes describes [recently nominated Attorney General Jeff] Sessions as a “do the crime, serve the time” type of prosecutor, and says “I’ve not had a high degree of regard for him. … Candidate Trump himself said we’re going to return to ‘Law and Order.’ I’m not sure if he knows what that means, but that has a long history which is ‘lock ‘em up.’ There’s not a lot of patience for nuance or stopping and reflecting.”

Read more by visiting Crosscut’s original article.

Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes has asked the federal judge overseeing court-ordered police reforms to step into a labor dispute with the Police Department’s management union, saying the conflict could have a “material effect” on the timing of proposed accountability measures.

In a request filed Tuesday evening, the city asked U.S. District Judge James Robart to hold a hearing to clarify the impact of an unfair-labor-practice complaint filed Oct. 20 by the Seattle Police Management Association (SPMA), which represents 74 captains and lieutenants.

If Robart agrees to …

Despite [the best efforts of father Bill Austin], it appeared that Nathan would soon be the property of Colorado’s Department of Corrections. Unless a miracle happened.

That miracle arrived in the form of an odd coupling of a maverick City Attorney from Seattle who once instructed his subordinates to not prosecute marijuana smokers prior to legalization, and a straight-laced Assistant District Attorney in one of Colorado’s most conservative bastions.

“Bill is the persistent widow,” Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes says from his Columbia Tower office on a recent …

In his second term as Seattle City Attorney,  Pete Holmes already had a history of police review and advocacy.  Pete Holmes review of police started with his appointment in 2002 by City Council as an original member of SPD’s first civilian oversight body, the OPA – Office of Professional Accountability Review Board and served as the departments chair from 2003 to 2008. In his first actions as City Attorney in 2010 Pete dismissed all pending marijuana possession cases and the following year became a primary sponsor of Initiative …