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- Nov 18, 2016
Federal Court Restricts Public Records Request of Anti-Choice Extremists
A federal district court judge handed down an order that keeps personally identifying information of Legal Voice clients—abortion care provi
- Nov 15, 2016
Due Process Is Not a Free Pass
Today, Legal Voice stood with Cynthia Aiken and her daughters in a case that raises critical issues about protections for domestic violence survivors throughout Washington. In this case, Cynthia's 14-year-old daughter had reported abuse by her father and attempted to harm herself. Cynthia sought a domestic violence protection order to temporarily restrict the father's contact with the daughter and, in response, the father demanded that the daughter be forced to appear in cour
- Sep 22, 2016
Protection for survivors is *always* appropriate.
When Anna Juarez filed for a domestic violence protection order (DVPO) against her abusive husband, she specifically requested that the order be permanent. She believed that her husband would resume abusing her and her children after the order expired. Yet the court granted an order protecting her for only 65 days, substantially shorter than the standard minimum term of one year.
Why? The court said that Anna and her husband could "start a divorce" and that the family cour
- Aug 31, 2016
She was abused. Yet he was the one granted a "haunt"-free future.
Washington State’s Parenting Act helps protect domestic violence survivors and ensure a safe and healthy upbringing for their children by requiring certain restrictions on the abusive parent. When courts fail to impose those restrictions, they put survivors and their children at risk. Yet, that is exactly what happened to Maresa, a mother of two whom we represent in an appeal of her custody case. After splitting with her abusive partner, Maresa (who could not afford a lawyer)
- Aug 1, 2016
Protecting Abortion Access for Low-Income People in Alaska
The federal Hyde Amendment bans Medicaid coverage of most abortions, leaving low-income women without access to abortion care unless the state they live in provides its own coverage. In the Northwest, Alaska, Montana, Oregon, and Washington all provide Medicaid funding for abortion care. Recently, however, Alaska's policies have come under siege from anti-choice politicians.
In 2013, the Alaska Department of Health adopted a regulation so restrictive that it would prevent
- Jul 7, 2016
Working to End the Hidden Cycle of Abuse
If and when a domestic violence survivor chooses to leave, her abuser still has a need for power and control. So it is often the case that an abuser will use the legal system to continue exerting power and control over the survivor, repeatedly forcing her into court for child custody or divorce proceedings, or even for defamation if she reports the abuse. This pattern, referred to as abusive litigation, is a pervasive problem that has immense emotional and financial impacts o
- Jun 15, 2016
A Victory for Megan and Survivors Across Washington State
Megan was raped by another student at her university and, like many other victims of campus sexual assault, she had to continue attending the same school as him. When she continued to see him on campus and grew fearful, she petitioned the court for a sexual assault protection order. But the trial court denied Megan's petition, claiming she had no reasonable fear of future dangerous acts by the man who attacked her. Legal Voice and our allies at Northwest Justice Project filed
- May 17, 2016
Legal Voice Endorses I-1491 to Keep Guns Out of Dangerous Hands
The fight to reduce gun violence is an integral part of the fight against gender-based violence. In 2014 Legal Voice and our allies successfully advocated for a Washington law that keeps abusers with domestic violence protection orders against them from purchasing or possessing firearms. That same year, we supported an initiative that successfully closed a background check loophole to help ensure abusers cannot purchase guns. Even with those protections in place, Washington S
- Apr 19, 2016
Washington Becomes First State in Country to Create Rape Kit Tracking System
A significant yet basic way to support sexual assault survivors is to ensure that evidence from the crime is collected and tested in a timely manner. But far too often, rape kits are never examined, and agencies lose track of them, adding another barrier to achieving justice for sexual assault survivors.
That's why we are thrilled to have helped pass House Bill 2530, making Washington the first state in the country to create a tracking system for rape kits. This system wil
- Feb 25, 2016
Legal Voice Endorses Initiative for Statewide Paid Sick & Safe Leave
Legal Voice has long advocated for all women to have access to the economic security they and their families deserve. Nearly 15 years ago, we helped pass the Washington Family Care Act, which allows a worker who receives paid sick days to use that leave to care for her child, her spouse, or another family member. This was a great victory, except for one detail: there was no law that required employers to provide paid sick leave to workers. And there still isn't one. For years
- Jan 9, 2016
Legal Voice Asks Washington State Office of Insurance Commissioner to Ensure Health Care Privacy
Insurance companies sometimes inadvertently disclose information about one family member’s health care services to other family members on the same policy. In many cases, people will not use their health insurance—or will forgo seeking care at all—because of the threat that someone in their household will find out their personal medical information. This is especially true for minors, young adults still on their parents’ insurance plan, and people in domestic violence situati
- Jan 4, 2016
Undo the Burden
This spring, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear its first abortion case in a decade. In Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt (formerly Whole Woman's Health v. Cole), the Court will decide whether Texas' latest abortion restrictions are an "undue burden" on the constitutional right to have an abortion. If upheld, Texas' restrictions will result in the closure of almost every abortion clinic in the state. Legal Voice has submitted an amicus brief—joined by 32 of the nation’s leadi
- Dec 17, 2015
Ensuring Protection for Survivors of Sexual Assault
Megan did what they tell you to do after a sexual assault. She told a friend. She sought counseling. She reported the assault to law enforcement and university administrators. And later, when she continued to see her assaulter on campus and grew fearful, she petitioned for a civil sexual assault protection order (SAPO). At trial, she provided uncontested evidence of the assault—including witness statements of people who saw her crying and shaking moments after the encounter—a
- Nov 2, 2015
Access to Justice for Child Sexual Abuse Survivors
In 1988, Legal Voice helped to pass the country's first law to extend the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse survivors to pursue claims against those responsible for the abuse. This Washington law created a delayed discovery rule that allows the time limit for legal action to start at the point the victim discovers her injuries are a result of the abuse, instead of when she reaches 18 years of age. We later helped to enact similar laws in Montana, and now, we are d
- Oct 27, 2015
Legal Voice Convenes Organizations in Support of the SAFE Act
On behalf of Washington State organizations that serve and advocate on behalf of survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking, Legal Voice submitted a letter to Senator Patty Murray in support of the Security and Financial Empowerment (SAFE) Act. The SAFE Act would help to reduce the need for survivors to choose between economic security and their safety by creating strong workplace protections, including: Enabling survivors to take up to 30 days off from work
- Oct 16, 2015
Working Nationally to End Sex Discrimination in Housing
Legal Voice has long fought to end sex discrimination in housing in the Northwest. We've represented women who were sexually assaulted or harassed by their landlords. We've drafted and helped pass laws to ban housing discrimination against domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking survivors. And we've strongly supported efforts to ensure that housing discrimination against transgender and gender nonconforming people is recognized as a form of sex discrimination prohibit
- Aug 14, 2015
A Step Toward Justice for Alabama "Rape Bait" Survivor
The United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit issued a unanimous decision in favor of a young woman who is suing her school district for allowing her to be sexually assaulted on school grounds. The woman, who has asked to be called Jaden, was a 14-year-old special education student when she reported that a fellow student had been harassing and propositioning her to engage in sexual activity in the school restroom. Instead of believing her and addressing the issu
- Jul 9, 2015
Washington State Joins the Fight Against Revenge Porn with New Legal Protections
Nonconsensual pornography, sometimes referred to as “revenge porn,” is a rapidly growing problem that occurs when a private, sexually explicit image of a person is disclosed without her consent. Today, Washington State took an important step forward in protecting victims of nonconsensual pornography when Governor Jay Inslee signed HB 1272 and HB 2160 into law. These bills, passed unanimously by both the House and Senate during the second special session, create new civil reme
- Jan 16, 2015
Amicus Brief: Protecting Domestic Violence Survivors' Parental Rights
In a recent published opinion, the Washington Court of Appeals held that one reason for terminating the parental rights of a mother was that her “history as a victim of domestic violence” put her children at risk. Legal Voice filed an amicus brief in this case supporting the mother’s request that the Court reconsider its decision, which establishes a dangerous precedent for survivors of domestic violence in Washington State. We believe the opinion wrongly suggests that the mo
- Dec 23, 2014
Survivors Don't Have to "Work it Out"
Legal Voice joined with the Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence (WSCADV) to submit an amicus brief in Leavitt v. Leavitt, an appeal that challenges court practices that affect the safety of domestic violence survivors throughout Washington. The case concerns the proper interpretation of Washington’s Domestic Violence Prevention Act (DVPA), which enables domestic violence survivors to obtain protection orders to stop abusers from having contact with them or th