Washington court pauses state enforcement against King Ranch

A Washington appellate court commissioner has ordered a pause in enforcement proceedings against Wade and Teresa King, owners of King Ranch, while the couple fights for the right to a jury trial. Commissioner Hailey Landrus ruled that the ranch faces ‘irreparable’ harm by being forced to participate in hearings before a board that the owners argue acts as an unconstitutional factfinder.

The legal dispute stems from 2023 actions by the Washington Department of Ecology, which alleged the Kings illegally excavated protected wetlands in Douglas and Grant counties. The state issued a $267,540 fine and ordered the restoration of the areas, a process the Kings’ attorneys estimate could cost over $3.7 million. The ranch owners maintain they were simply maintaining traditional stockwater ponds.

The Kings, represented by the Pacific Legal Foundation, argue that the state’s Pollution Control Hearings Board—a body of governor-appointed members—cannot act as both ‘judge and prosecutor’ in matters involving significant financial penalties. While the ruling does not immediately grant a jury trial, it halts the state’s attempts to enforce fines and further penalties while the constitutional challenge moves through the court system.