New WA sheriff standards law faces another lawsuit

Washington’s new law that seeks to hold sheriffs to higher standards and paves the way for their removal from office is the target of a second lawsuit.

This one comes from the Washington State Sheriffs’ Association and a candidate for Kitsap County sheriff. They argue Senate Bill 5974, signed last week, improperly shifts power from local voters to an unelected state board, calling it a “delegation of standardless discretion to agencies to gatekeep access to a constitutionally established elected office.”

The association represents all 39 sheriffs across the state, almost all of whom are elected. The group had urged Gov. Bob Ferguson to veto parts of the law.

The legal challenge comes a week after four eastern Washington sheriffs filed a suit of their own in Pend Oreille County Superior Court. Both complaints make similar arguments. There could be more challenges to come.

https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2026/04/10/new-wa-sheriff-standards-law-faces-another-lawsuit/