There were two state Supreme Court justices that I would have liked to see on the bench Tuesday when the court was hearing oral arguments in Federal Way Municipal Court Judge Michael Morgan's lawsuit against his city and The News Tribune. (See our editorial).

Justices Barbara Madsen and Richard Sanders both recused themselves and were replaced by Court of Appeals judges. Sanders consistently votes for public disclosure. Madsen is a bit more unpredictable, although she appeared to be the justice most on the fence in the pivotal Soter v. Cowles case two years ago. Madsen sided with the majority in that decision, but expressed grave concerns about the implications of letting public bodies cover up investigations into matters of legitimate public interest.

There are some important distinctions between Soter and Morgan's case, at least in this non-lawyer's mind. Soter involved records pertaining to a child's peanut-allergy death while on a school field trip. The Spokane School District, anticipating the lawsuit that the child's parents later filed, hired attorneys to investigate its liability. In the Federal Way case, the city attorney hired an investigator to follow up on an hostile workplace complaint. This was an investigation of the complaint's veracity, not the city's potential legal culpability.

One other important difference: At fault in the Spokane case (presumably, since the report wasn't released) were school personnel and field trip volunteers. In Federal Way's case, the focus of the investigation was an elected official who, court officer or not, should expect greater public scrutiny.

This editorial will appear in Thursday's print edition.

The fight over an investigation into the Federal Way Municipal Court could have broad implications for the public’s right to know everywhere in Washington.

Judge Michael Morgan is suing his own city and The News Tribune in an effort to keep a potentially embarrassing report under wraps.

The report, written by a Seattle attorney hired by the city, followed an allegation that the municipal court was a hostile workplace. The city was planning to release the document last year to The News Tribune, until Morgan intervened.

On Tuesday, he pleaded his case to the state Supreme Court, where it became evident that he is willing to try any legal theory to keep the report out of the public eye.

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This editorial will appear in Thursday's print edition.

Wintergrass should stick with its Tacoma roots

We could learn today or Friday whether the Wintergrass music festival will move to Bellevue next year after 16 years in Tacoma.

If the festival board opts for Bellevue, it won’t be due to any lack of effort from local folks to keep it here.

When word got out that festival organizers were considering relocating north to a city better known for its shopping than its roots music, representatives from the city and hospitality industry went into action. They put together an attractive incentives package designed to keep the bluegrass festival here, bringing thousands of music lovers from all over the country to Tacoma, filling up hotel rooms and injecting millions of dollars into the community every February.

Bellevue offers logistical opportunities for the festival that Tacoma can’t – particularly the ability to put up everyone in one hotel (the 700-room-plus Hyatt Regency) at a reasonable price instead of scattering them around at different locations. Five stages would be offered at one site, saving on the cost and inconvenience of shuttling between venues.

But the most important incentive Bellevue offers is less tangible than room rates and performance sites.

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The bad guy in this wreck Tuesday is the driver who caused the collision. Especially if that driver turns out to have been drunk or otherwise impaired.

But what about the adults in the Ford Explorer that got slammed? Nine people – including six children – were sardined into the SUV, which had seats for eight. None of them was buckled, including a 2-year-old who should have been in a safety seat.

That toddler and an older child were thrown from the Explorer as it rolled; both were taken to the hospital in critical condition. Police say they might have escaped with only minor injuries if they'd been properly secured.

It's been common knowledge for – 40 years? 50 years? – that seat belts prevent injuries in car accidents. Washington law requires their use, for reasons this crash makes abundantly clear. I'm feeling sorry for the parents of the injured children, but I can't come up with a single excuse for failing to buckle in those kids before pulling out of the driveway.

The lawmakers who drafted the state's new domestic partnership law may have inadvertently sabotaged the effort to repeal it – just by making it so long.

This just in from Gary Randall, a repeal advocate who's trying to put the petition drive together:

The process of preparing this petition for print has not been usual or normal and at times very frustrating for all of us, in a number of ways.

Perhaps the most challenging is the fact that the bill – SB 5688, must be printed, in its entirety, on the petition. The bill is about 100 pages.

We have had experts in these matters working on how to best accomplish this. Several have said that this is the longest bill ever printed on a petition form in the history of the state. I don't know about that, but I am satisfied that those working on it have done an excellent job, received approval from the Secretary of State and finally, it is going to press.

We will post a sample of the petition on our website for you to see, however we have been instructed to not have people download and print because of the size and configuration of the form.

UPDATE: The Secretary of State's office released this photo of the petition. Sponsors used a layout with 6-point font and a fold-out design that has eight “pages.” When unfolded, the petition is nearly 2 feet by 3 feet, front and back.