Government Accountability
 

Smith & Lowney uses federal and state laws to hold governments accountable. We work to assure that government processes remain transparent, free from conflicts of interest, and that public documents remain open to public review. 

The following are representative cases:

Columbia Riverkeeper v. Port of Vancouver.  In this lawsuit, we established that the Port Commissioners violated the Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA) by discussing port lease terms behind closed doors.  This lawsuit was part of the campaign to stop a proposed Crude by Rail terminal on the Columbia River.   

Permanently Offended v. Office of the Code Reviser. Successfully sued the Washington State Code Reviser for refusing to disclose legal advice provided to Tim Eyman regarding one of his initiative proposals. Lawsuit established that such records are subject to public disclosure.

Friends of Grays Harbor v. City of Westport. Obtained reversal of a critical permit after establishing that the city violated the appearance of fairness doctrine.

Center for Environmental Law & Policy v. Washington State Department of Ecology. Successfully represented CELP in this Public Disclosure Act suit for Ecology’s repeated failures to provide public documents, hampering CELP’s ability to carry out its mission of protecting Washington's water resources. Ecology ultimately admitted to fourteen violations of the act, agreeing to pay attorneys’ fees, and civil penalties.  

Don’t Expand UW Primate Testing v. UW Board of Regents.  The King County Superior Court held that the University of Washington’s governing board violated the state’s Open Public Meetings Act on 24 separate occasions, when its members discussed business – including building a $124 million underground animal research facility - over dinner at the UW president’s home.  The case brought aggressive media attention to the UW’s controversial animal research program and helped propel an international No New Animal Lab campaign.  Following the court’s decision, the UW agreed to stop shutting the public out of its meetings, host a presentation on humane alternatives to animal testing, and pay our legal fees.

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