Four years in, Washington counties have mixed progress in vacating unconstitutional drug convictions

In 2021, the Washington Supreme Court ruled that the state’s simple drug possession law was unconstitutional, making hundreds of thousands of past misdemeanor and felony convictions dating as far back as 1971 eligible to be wiped from a person’s criminal record, and for any financial costs incurred, eligible to be refunded by the state. But the process has to be initiated at the local level, and some courts have been more proactive than others.