Case, Staff, Community, & Intern News!
Case News:
Case Dismissed!
Tacoma AFD Elizabeth Sher, along with the stellar defense team of Seattle investigator Mahkaea Jackson-Sams, and Tacoma paralegals, Julie Valencia and Carolynn Cohn worked tireslessly to secure a dismissal for their client, who was wrongfully charged by the Government with Theft of Government Property. The spouse of a service member, Mr. A was accused by the government of stealing valuable items such as copper wire and pipes from inside homes that were under construction. Investigation revealed that, while Mr. A had removed discarded materials, while earning his living as a “scrapper”, he never entered any of the homes under construction and never removed any valuable property. In fact, further defense investigation also revealed that Mr. A wasn’t even in the county when some of these thefts were alleged to have occurred. After relentlessly pushing the Government to look at their evidence, or lack thereof, more closely, , an Order Dismissing Mr. A’s case was filed. Amazing work FPD team and congratulations to Mr. A! What a wonderful outcome for our client!
An FPD defense team won a Motion to Revoke a Detention order for a client facing serious felony charges. The Magistrate Court ordered the client detained at his initial appearance, relying in part on his alleged lack of legal immigration status in the United States. However, the defense team filed a Motion to Revoke that Order, and persuaded the District Court to hold that the government had neither met its threshold burden to allow the Court to even consider detention, nor to detain without bond. Thanks to the immense support from the client’s friends and family, and the work of Tacoma paralegal Alma Coria, a Seattle investigator, and Tacoma AFD Becky Fish, the District Court released the client on bond. Following this win, Legal Intern Ashley Rot and Research & Writing Specialist Alan Zarky quickly and successfully confirmed that the client could not be held for other reasons, and the Client was able to return to his home on bond. Great work team and just outcome for our client!
Staff News:
Welcome Our New Administrative Officer Kelly Ambrose!
Kelly has an MA in Public Administration from Seattle University and worked in education as a program director with Junior Achievement of Greater Washington and Washington DECA before becoming the Operations Director for the Cancer Prevention Program at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in 2015. There, she led a team that supported a highly diverse population of over 200 doctors, professors, researchers and students in patient care and cancer research.
Kelly’s colleagues describe her as “creative,” “inclusive,” “supportive and appreciative,” “unflappable,” “an advocate for her colleagues,” and “one of the best change leaders I have known.” Kelly has been a leader in helping develop the Cancer Center’s DEI policies and initiatives, an experience she describes as an opportunity to embark on “a self reflective and progressive journey with a cohort of like-minded individuals with a commitment to learn and take action towards DEI and anti-racism.” Her commitment to social equity and work that has a positive impact on the lives of individuals, along with a desire to work with close-knit, collaborative and public mission-oriented colleagues, led her to apply for the AdO position.
We celebrated Kelly’s arrival with her swearing in and a potluck lunch!
Community News:
This Election Day, CJA Resource Counsel Jenn Kaplan and FPD Social Work Program Coordinator Amanda Merfeld co-organized a half-day afternoon training on Autism & Developmental Disabilities. The afternoon training was facilitated by the Arc of King County. “The Arc is the largest national community based organization advocating for and with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and serving them and their families.”
The training covered Autism (ASD) and Intellectual and Development Disabilities (IDD) and dissected the process of understanding what ASD and IDD are, how ASD and IDD can create different needs and how to better support ASD and IDD people of any age. The trainers detailed many topics around these subjects, including how one can receive a diagnosis, respectful language, models of disability, intersectionality, executive functioning, burnout and trauma, sensory and social differences, and inclusive and accommodating practices with working with this population.
Thank you ARC, Jenn, and Amanda for this informative and helpful training.
On November 17, 2023, students from Cascade, Everett, and Sequoia High Schools visited the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington as part of the school district’s Law and Society Program. Students had the opportunity to tour the courthouse and learn about the criminal legal system. Recently confirmed U.S. District Judge Evanson welcomed the students and explained her path to the bench. Magistrate Judge Vaughn talked to the students about their constitutional rights and the role of a magistrate judge. Federal defender volunteers helped escort students on a tour of the courthouse. Some students had the opportunity to watch a criminal sentencing in front of Senior District Judge Richard Jones and ask him questions about the sentencing process. Some students attended a presentation by the U.S. Marshals Service and toured lock up. Other students heard directly from federal prosecutors and Assistant Federal Defender Colleen Fitzharris about her job as a public defender. Investigator Stacey Brownstein and Seattle AFDs Greg Murphy and Nancy Tenney volunteered to escort students on the tour and to the various presentations and activities.
Intern News:
Congrats to Isabelle Breitfelder who interned with us as a rising 3L at the University of Iowa School of Law shares the exciting news that she has accepted a clerkship with Magistrate Judge Alexander Ekstrom in Yakima, Washington. Congratulations to Isabelle!