Washington Attorney General Opinions
Free plain-English summaries of attorney general opinions issued in Washington, with full citations and the original source on every page.
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Can a sitting Washington county commissioner or councilmember be appointed by their own county legislative body to fill a vacant state legislative seat?
Yes. The AG reversed a series of opinions issued from 1965 to 1987. The Washington Constitution sets only two qualifications for state legislators (citizenship and being a qualified voter in the distr…
Who controls the unclassified (exempt) positions in a Washington county sheriff's office, the sheriff or the county commissioners, and who sets the salaries?
Authority is split. The county commissioners create positions, fund the sheriff's office, and set compensation. The sheriff selects which authorized positions are unclassified, sets job titles and job…
Can two Washington county commissions hold a joint meeting in person across the county line, or do they have to use video conferencing?
The AG concluded that county commissioners cannot transact county business at a meeting held outside their own county unless a specific statutory exception applies. They can, however, hold a joint mee…
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Attorney general opinions in Washington are written by the Washington Attorney General's office in response to questions from state agencies, legislators, and prosecutors. They are not binding like court decisions, but courts and agencies treat them as persuasive guidance on how state law applies. Every opinion above has a plain-English question and short answer, plus a link to the full original text.