Orders of Protection by InvestigateWest

JUDGE: In Eastern Washington, victims seeking protection steer clear of a judge accused of domestic violence himself
In the Tri-Cities, victims and attorneys avoid one judge in particular when seeking protection orders against their abusers. That’s because the judge, Samuel Swanberg, was accused of domestic violence himself. “I won’t have him hear any of my cases,” one attorney who represents victims of abuse said. Though Swanberg has been cleared of the charges, experts say it raises larger questions over judge bias when it comes to the life-altering consequences of protection orders. Story here

FIREARMS: Why many judges in WA won’t order abusers to turn in guns
The U.S. Supreme Court announced today that it would hear a case on whether accused domestic violence abusers can own guns. But many judges in Washington — including all of those in Pierce County — have already interpreted a Washington Court of Appeals ruling to mean that they can’t enforce Washington’s firearm surrender law. The result? A patchwork of different rulings from judge to judge on whether to require alleged abusers to turn in their guns. “Rollbacks of these protections will no doubt lead to more female homicides in domestic violence incidents,” said one expert. Story here

SURVIVORS: Low-income domestic violence survivors face uphill battle in obtaining court-ordered protections
Domestic violence is a primary driver of homelessness for survivors of domestic violence. Once homeless, lacking resources that their abuser may have, it can be difficult to obtain the court-ordered protection that could help keep them safe. And despite recent reforms by Washington lawmakers, advocates said the system still fails to account for the unique needs of low-income and homeless survivors of domestic violence, who make up a large portion of those who seek protection orders. Story here