The Wheels of Justice Turn Slowly - 4 Years & Counting

Over 4 years ago Hawk and I were involved in a car accident in Seattle. We were passengers in one of several vehicles that were struck by a person driving unsafely. Here's a picture of the vehicle we emerged from:



We were both in the back seat. Hawk was on the near side. You can see that the airbags deployed on that side of the car. Those kept her and the driver from smashing their heads through the glass.

The crash occurred on October 7, 2018. Police decided to charge the driver of one of the other cars with crimes including vehicular assault. Hawk and I would be summoned to appear as witnesses in the trial.

The wheel of justice turn slowly, though. The trial wouldn't be for months after the events in question. Then the Coronavirus pandemic came and scrambled everything. The jurisdiction of Kings County, Washington did not allow remote trials, so cases were delayed even more.

A little over a year ago, in October 2021, the trial got back on the court's docket. I sat for an interview (remotely) with defense counsel. It seemed like the trial would go forward, even if 3 years later. But then another form of delay occurred: the defendant failed to appear. The police wouldn't find him for at least 9 more months.

Police captured the fugitive a few months ago. He remains in custody awaiting trial. Apparently he has a long "rap sheet" of prior criminal convictions; these plus his proven flight risk undoubtedly helped a judge decide to confine him.

As for the trial? Well, it's still bumping with delay after delay. It was scheduled in October. Then early November. Then late November. Then late December. Our last notice from the county attorney's office, late last week, says the schedule is now late January.

The wheels of justice do turn slowly.

4 years, 2 months, and still counting.

Real ID Deadline Postponed Another 2 Years

The REAL ID program, which requires enhanced drivers licenses to do all sorts of not-driving things such as enter an airport, federal courthouse, or your Congressional representative's office, has been postponed another 2 years. Today the DHS pushed back the deadline for full enforcement from May 3, 2023 to May 7, 2025. Source: DHS press release, 5 Dec 2022.

The reason that I note it has been pushed back again is that the REAL ID program was enacted into law back in... 2005. With the latest extension it will have taken twenty years to implement— or more if it gets delayed again! As the idea of creating more secure identity documents was one of the recommendations coming out of the 9/11 commission, one has to wonder the fact it will have taken 24 years since 9/11 to get them implemented demonstrates they're just security theater and actually not consequential for public safety.

There are many reasons why this program has been delayed for so many years. Initially it was because a lot of states opposed the program that created federal security requirements on state-issued driving permits. States opposed it partly because Congress passed without hearings or debate. In the House, it was dropped from a must-pass appropriations bill because of member objections but then reinserted in conference committee. The full House then approved the appropriations bill with the unrelated Real ID rider, as did the Senate. Et voilà: How A Bill (Really) Becomes A Law.

While many states fought the law for several years, it did remain the law. The federal government extended deadlines a few times to give them more time to comply. When it looked like the final extension would end in 2019, the roughly half the states that were holding out aligned with the program so as not to create hardships for their citizens when traveling or attempting to interact with the federal government. But then another extension came, giving states until 2020... at which point the Coronavirus Pandemic arrived, so the federal government extended it a few more times, ultimately to May 2023. And now it's May 2025.