Jurisdiction

Wash.

6 stories

WASH.Regulation

Seattle mayor signs ordinance banning grocery surveillance pricing

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson signed Council Bill 121267 on Oct. 5, after the City Council passed it on Sept. 22. Enacted as Ordinance 127515, it bars covered grocery retailers from using personal data to set individualized prices, requires pricing disclosures and record retention, and adds Chapter 7.35 to the Seattle Municipal Code. The pricing prohibition takes effect Sept. 1, 2027.

Text (Seattle City Council (Legistar)) → · Office of the Mayor, City of Seattle, Consumer ReportsOct. 6

U.S.Court order

Supreme Court vacates rulings on Washington legislative map, orders Ninth Circuit review under Callais

The Supreme Court granted certiorari in Garcia v. Hobbs and Trevino v. Hobbs, vacated the judgments and remanded both cases to the Ninth Circuit for further consideration in light of Louisiana v. Callais. The challengers, including a Republican state lawmaker, had argued that Washington's court-drawn Yakima Valley legislative map was a racial gerrymander after a 2023 ruling found the prior map violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.

Order (Supreme Court of the United States) → · Courthouse News Service, Democracy Docket, Campaign Legal CenterOct. 5

9TH CIR.Court order

Ninth Circuit pauses reinstatement of fired Seattle U.S. attorney Roger Rogoff

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on October 4, 2026, granted the Justice Department an administrative stay of a district court's October 1 order reinstating Roger Rogoff as U.S. attorney for the Western District of Washington, in Rogoff v. Trump, No. 26-6445. The unsigned order keeps Rogoff out of the post while the court considers the government's emergency motion for a stay pending appeal and does not decide the merits.

Order (Bloomberg Law) → · Reuters, Lynnwood TimesOct. 5

WASH.Regulation

Seattle council passes ban on algorithmic personalized grocery pricing, awaiting mayor's signature

The Seattle City Council passed Council Bill 121267 by 7-2 on September 22, 2026, adding a Fair Pricing and Transparency chapter (SMC 7.35) that bars grocery businesses with 20 or more locations, mixed-use retailers and delivery services from setting prices based on tracking or automated analysis of a consumer's personal data. Retailers must disclose discount eligibility criteria and keep records. The bill awaits the mayor's signature and takes effect September 1, 2027.

Text (Seattle City Council (Legistar)) → · Seattle City CouncilSept. 23

U.S. FEDFunding

Litem (Deposely) files Form D after selling $6.17M in equity

On September 15, 2026 Deposely, Inc., which markets litigation AI as Litem, filed an SEC Form D showing $6,173,982 sold of a $6,673,982 Rule 506(b) equity offering, with first sale on September 9. The Bellevue, Washington company said the total includes new cash plus converted debt and convertibles. Runtime Wire reported the filing on 15–September 16 as Litem expands beyond deposition tools.

Announcement (U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission) → · Runtime WireSept. 16

S.D.N.Y.Litigation

Seattle Times and Newsday sue OpenAI and Microsoft over AI copying and trademark dilution

The Seattle Times Company and Newsday LLC sued OpenAI entities and Microsoft in Manhattan federal court on September 4, alleging unauthorized copying of their journalism to train and operate AI products. The complaint asserted direct and vicarious copyright infringement, removal of copyright-management information, distribution of works stripped of that information, and federal and state trademark dilution. The publishers sought damages, an injunction and destruction of models and datasets incorporating their works.

Filing (U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York) → · Reuters, GeekWireSept. 5