The Second Amendment Foundation and founder Alan Gottlieb have moved their civil rights lawsuit against Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson from federal court to Washington State court in a move the plaintiffs hope will bring a speedier resolution to their case.
“We believe we will do better in the state courts, considering Ferguson’s loss before the state Supreme Court earlier this year in the long-running Value Village case,” said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. “The state high court ruled unanimously that Ferguson’s office ‘improperly used Washington Consumer Protection and Charitable Solicitations Acts to suppress constitutionally protected speech with which he disagreed.’
“On the other hand,” he recalled, “we won unanimously before the state Supreme Court in our lawsuit against the City of Edmonds for violating Washington State’s long-standing firearms preemption law. That was a legal action Ferguson’s office should have taken, but because of his clearly established anti-gun sentiments, the job of protecting Washington law fell to SAF.”
Joining the lawsuit is the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, SAF’s sister organization for which Gottlieb serves as chairman. Additional plaintiffs include the Center for the Defense of Free Enterprise, the Service Bureau Association, Merril Mail Marketing and Liberty Park Press. They are represented by attorneys Steven W. Fogg and Jack M. Lovejoy at Corr Cronin LLP in Seattle.
In addition to Ferguson, the lawsuit also names three assistant AGs assigned to the Consumer Protection Division. All are being sued individually and in their official capacities.
The lawsuit came after the Consumer Protection Division of the Attorney General’s office carried out an expansive and highly intrusive probe into the private affairs of SAF, CCRKBA, CDFE, SBA, LPP, MMM, Gottlieb and his family. It has served Civil Investigative Demands (“CIDs”) on each of the plaintiffs, including two on Gottlieb, citing the same consumer protection laws which the state Supreme Court ruled Ferguson and his office had abused in the Value Village case.
“After much deliberation, we felt it was best to move this lawsuit to state court where the Washington Attorney General has already been held to account for abusing his office’s authority,” said SAF Executive Director Adam Kraut. “SAF has, and continues to, cooperate with the Attorney General’s Office by providing requested information, offering employees for depositions, and delivering updated documents before they are requested. We are ambivalent that the Washington Courts will put a swift end to the Attorney General’s continuing undue harassment stemming from his seeming desire to score cheap political points by copying one of his colleague’s tactics to bolster his otherwise unimpressive resume for his gubernatorial bid.”
All that’s missing is rounding up gun owners and putting them on trains to concentration camps where gun owners will be branded, starved, used for slave labor, gruesome experiments and gased. Make no mistake about it, the really sick Gun Control nazis hate you and your gun that much.
Our Attorney General Bob Ferguson, yes I’m in Washington, is such a WEASEL!
I’d never in a gazillion years vote for him but the reality is the idiots on the west side of the state might vote for him and that’s where the population is.
He says his office has better lawyers. What a load of crap. He exercises shady and improper procedures to gain a favorable outcomes. Once in a while he gets caught but then he wants to tamp down any news of it.
I can’t stand him.
Not really the West side so much as the I-5 corridor in like 5 counties or something.
Basically the Oly through Seattle densely populated zone.
Plenty of threepers around Yelm! LoL
DinWa
Draw an imaginary line about 25 miles inland from the high tide mark around Puget sound.
You will have encompassed about 95% of the libidiots making up the core of The Peoples Repubelick of Pugetopia.
Those of us in the REST of the State, would just as soon join with Idaho along with the area outside of the feces steeped Land of Portlandia and its’ environs..
That’s pretty much what I’m saying except not up the peninsula side.
Port Townsend is whacko central as well. Remember the Y kicking out the elderly gal after she complained about the males in the dressing room?
Not sure about the Bremerton area either.
Remember just WHO it is that rides all those ferries running across the Sound…
Ferguson is one of the most dangerous demagogues in the USA. He needs to get the hell out. And never vote for him for any office; he is a tyrant.
KS,
Unfortunately, you are correct. Side Show Bob is salivating at passing anti free speech laws to suppress all that would challenge the Olympic Court Jesters’ rule…
Washington state has 39 counties, there are 4 counties all in the Seattle and surrounding area that are dominated by liberal Democrats due to the large population base. The other 35 counties are all republican; however they do not have the population base to overcome the liberal vote from the populace 4 counties, therefore the rest of the state has no say in issues, and we all suffer. We are taxed to death for stupid liberal policies, climate change, Carbon tax scheme and the highest gas tax and prices in the nation. These Seattle Dems simply do not care about the rest of the state!
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