Wade and Teresa King run cattle on ground their family has worked since the 1950s. In February 2023, Washington state’s Department of Ecology fined them $267,540. The state claims the Kings dug up protected wetlands. The Kings say they just maintained stockwater ponds, which ranchers in dry country have to do. Somebody must decide who’s right, and the Kings want a jury to do it.
I’m a husband and father of three who runs a small business and has coached youth teams for years. Coaching teaches you fast that nobody accepts a call from someone with a stake in the score. Thirty years in finance, including expert witness work in securities and fiduciary cases, taught me the adult version: the side with better evidence welcomes outside judgment. My argument is short. When a state seeks to punish, citizens should decide the facts.
