Part Two The Washington Constitution and Commentary, Art.I Declaration of Rights

Declarations of rights were created in the constitutions of most of the original thirteen states before the Federal Bill of Rights and were relied upon both before and after the Bill of Rights applied to the states. In many states, including Washington, the Declaration of Rights is a source of individual protection that is the equal of the federal document. Not merely a restatement of its national counterpart, Washington’s Declaration of Rights contains unique, additional, and stronger protections of individual rights. Problems peculiar to the American West and...