KGMI News
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) – The state Supreme Court has adopted a rule saying a person’s immigration status is “generally inadmissible” in court.
Proponents say the new rule, which takes effect next September, will help those who might fear bringing a civil suit or testifying in a criminal case because of their immigration status.
The Seattle Times reports the measure is believed to be the first of its kind in the country.
The rule stems from a 2010 decision from the justices regarding an illegal immigrant who broke bones when he slipped from a ladder on a construction site.
He sued the scaffolding subcontractor because the ladder did not meet code requirements, but the jury didn’t award him any money after hearing he was in the country illegally.
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