First-come-first-served rule
OLYMPIA (Wash.) – A Seattle law was declared by the Washington state Supreme Court Thursday. It requires landlords to advertise their standards for tenants and hire the best candidate.
The Seattle Times reports that the court reversed the decision of a King County judge to strike down the first-come first-served legislation regarding tenants. The legislation had been adopted in 2016 by the City Council.
Taxpayers who claimed the law was akin to taking personal land were denied by the court. The court also ruled that the law violated their free speech rights and due process under the state Constitution.
Justice May Yu stated that the legislation was “definitely an experiment”, and that there’s still a lot to debate over whether it is likely to succeed. However, she said that Washington’s constitution allows for such experiments.
Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes was highly praised for his choice. He stated that his office’s goal is to “provide our chosen policymakers the tools they need to govern a modern American town.”
The law is supposed to guarantee equality of treatment, according to the proponents.
The 2017 legislation was passed. Landlords were then sued.
Suzanne Parisien, King County Superior Court Judge, sided with the landlords in 2018. She described their ability to choose tenants from qualified rental officers as “an essential attribute property ownership”.
The Supreme Court sided with the town in another case involving a Seattle law that prohibited landlords from viewing or picking renters based upon records.
Brian Hodges is a senior attorney for the Pacific Legal Foundation libertarian group of attorneys that represented landlords. Also known as both rulings,”bothering for Washington State homeowners whose rights are constantly under attack.”
