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Attempts to humanize Mr. Chauvin, the former police officer accused of murder in the death of George Floyd, are central to the defense’s effort to portray him as a responsible person who was only doing his job, legal experts say. Prof. Mary Fan is quoted.

Washington rancher Cody Easterday pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal district court to defrauding Tyson Foods Inc. and another company out of more than $244 million. Easterday admitted charging the companies for the costs of purchasing and feeding hundreds of thousands of fictitious cattle. Scott Schumacher, professor of law at the UW, is quoted.

Some of the week’s most stinging testimony came from a renowned pulmonologist and the chief of the Minneapolis Police Department. Mary Fan, a UW professor of law, is quoted.

Emotional and sometimes combative witnesses dominated the second day of testimony Tuesday in the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer charged in the death of George Floyd. Legal experts expect the conversation to shift in coming days as the trial continues. Mary Fan, professor of law at the UW, is quoted.

Hugh Spitzer, professor of law at the UW, writes of a state capital-gains tax, “Whatever the pros and cons of the proposed tax, state courts are likely to hold that this money-raising device is not an income tax and that it conforms to the state constitution.”

In the wake of the Washington Supreme Court’s ruling in the “Blake” decision on Feb. 25, people can no longer be arrested for simple drug possession in Washington. Officials must now chart a new path to address past convictions and current substance use. Mary Fan, professor of law at the UW, is interviewed.

The digital contact tracing effort in Virginia is 2 million phones strong. Roughly a quarter of the adult population has downloaded the state’s COVIDWISE app or opted in on their iPhones to receive exposure notifications. Ryan Calo, a UW law professor, is quoted.

Professor Jennifer Fan is quoted on a research project that helps BIPOC, LGBTQ+ and women-owned businesses survive and thrive. (Dashboard > Economic Recovery > Business Post-COVID)

Facebook made the right decision to indefinitely ban Donald Trump from contributing to the site following his dangerous (and policy-violating) posts inciting January’s terrifying blitz on the Capitol. The company’s outside oversight board — a handpicked, global set of scholars, journalists, politicians and other luminaries — is reviewing the suspension and will rule in the coming weeks. The board should uphold the decision to keep Mr. Trump off the site, writes New York Times editorial board member Greg Bensinger. Ryan Calo, professor of law at the UW, is quoted.

Rep. Debra Anne Haaland of New Mexico was confirmed Monday as the country’s first Native American Cabinet-level official, becoming secretary of the interior. Robert Anderson, professor emeritus of law at the UW, is mentioned.

Momentum has been building across the country in recent years to do away with the twice-yearly switch between daylight saving and standard time. Steve Calandrillo, professor of law at the UW, is referenced.

"In my research on daylight saving time, I have found that Americans don’t like it when Congress messes with their clocks."

You might have heard the term “vaccine passport” in the news as of late. This would be a certificate letting those who are vaccinated do things that unvaccinated people can’t — like fly in a plane, go to a concert and go to their workplace. But how feasible is that kind of identification? Patricia Kuszler, professor of law at the UW, is interviewed. [This is the second segment on “The Record”]

For years, ºìÌÒÊÓƵ Professor Steve Calandrillo has been begging this very question. In three minutes, he shares insights into the practice's history and discusses the potentially major benefits a permanent switch could bring.

Think about how fast Google search results arrive. Now consider how long UW law student Tallman Trask has been waiting to receive information from Google about all the political ads the company sold targeting Washington state’s elections in 2019.

A year ago, a robbery suspect walked free, and instead it was the deputy prosecutor who ended up in legal trouble. That attorney is now back on the job handling felony domestic violence cases, and in spite of sanctions and a 214-page lambasting by a Superior Court judge, Michelle Rutherford faced no punishment from her boss. William Bailey, professor of law at the UW, is quoted.

A father and son who were kidnapped while waiting in Mexico under a Trump-era policy that barred asylum seekers from entering the United States have been allowed into the country. They were among the first to be admitted since the Biden administration announced that it would begin letting in some migrant families who had been kept out under the policy. Haiyun Damon-Feng, UW affiliate instructor of law and assistant director of the W.H. Gates Public Service Law Program, is quoted.

UW law student Austin Field says he's perplexed by the State Supreme Court's requirement that prospective lawyers take the bar exam this year. The requirement was waived last year, and Field argues the pandemic is just as bad now as it was then.

Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s efforts to stop the closure and sale of the National Archives in Seattle are heating up, with his team due in federal court Friday morning to ask for an injunction to immediately stop the sale. Lisa Manheim, associate professor of law at the UW, is quoted.

On the “KIRO Nights” show, UW law professor Zahr Said is interviewed about how defamation law is being used in the claims about election fraud. [Segment starts at :12]

Since Idaho’s legislative session began last month, top Republican lawmakers have been focused on two goals: removing the COVID-19 restrictions and stripping the governor of some emergency powers. Hugh Spitzer, professor of law at the UW, is quoted.

A Newsmax TV anchor read from a statement and walked off the set after his on-air guest, MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, rehashed debunked conspiracy theories about election technology company Dominion Voting Systems in an interview. Ryan Calo, professor of law at the UW, is quoted.

It may seem like an obscure act of cartography, but how Washington’s political maps are redrawn this year will help determine who gets elected and, in turn, the future of the state. Lisa Manheim, associate professor of law at the UW, is interviewed.

Trump's pattern of abusing his powers for personal or political gain reached an alarming level that hasn't been seen in modern history, and will have long-lasting consequences for the future of American democracy. Lisa Manheim, associate professor of law at the UW, is quoted.

Former President Donald Trump left office on Wednesday, but the administration’s environmental actions are set to impact Inland Northwest communities and ecosystems for years beyond the president’s tenure. Todd Wildermuth, director of the UW School of Law’s environmental law program, is quoted.