By MES Dispatch staff
The Briefing
• The Washington Supreme Court declined to reinstate key portions of a state law imposing new qualification requirements for county sheriffs, officials said.
• The decision follows a court challenge by eastern Washington sheriffs who argued the law was unconstitutional.
• Blocked provisions would have required specific experience, education and background criteria for sheriff candidates.
• The state Legislature included the law in a broader public safety bill enacted last year.
• The ruling leaves those provisions unenforceable as litigation continues.
OLYMPIA, WA — The Washington Supreme Court has refused to reinstate key provisions of a recently enacted state law that would have imposed new qualification requirements on candidates for county sheriff, court records show.
Eastern Washington sheriffs challenged the law after the Thurston County Superior Court blocked portions of the statute, arguing the requirements were unconstitutional and interfered with the authority of elected officials. Those provisions included minimum experience, education and background criteria for individuals seeking the office of sheriff.
In its decision this week, the state Supreme Court declined to overturn the lower court’s injunction, effectively leaving the experience and qualification mandates unenforceable as the legal dispute continues through the court system. The Legislature had adopted the measures as part of a broader public safety bill enacted last year.
Attorneys for the sheriffs hailed the ruling as a defense of the state constitution’s provisions for elected offices, while state officials have indicated they may pursue further appeal. Neither side has announced a specific schedule for future court proceedings.