By Becky Chan
Northwest Asian Weekly
Washington State Attorney General (AG) Bob Ferguson is a snake. He was born in Year of the Snake in the Chinese zodiac. On the third day of the Lunar New Year, Feb. 7, Ferguson defied ancient customs of staying home on this day. Instead, he attended the Seattle-International District Rotary Club (SIRC)’s luncheon meeting at Ocean Star Restaurant in Chinatown-International District. His goal is to speak to Rotaries in “all corners of the state” and to hear from Washingtonians. The SIRC visit was his 143rd.
With his sleeves rolled up and boy-next-door giddiness, Ferguson noted the presence of former Washington State University and NBA basketball player James Donaldson, a new SIRC member. As a young boy, Ferguson played basketball, watched the Sonics, and attended former Sonics player and coach Lenny Wilkens’ basketball camp. One of his prized possessions is a Player-of-the-Day plaque that he received at the camp when he was a 7th grader. He hopes for an autograph from Wilkens, via a message to Donaldson.
Ferguson compared his office to the Rotaries, “We both provide service to the community.” His office renders legal advice to state agencies and also to protect Washingtonians. With 13 offices around Washington, the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) is the state’s largest law firm, employing over a thousand people, with many choosing to serve the community rather than work elsewhere for more pay.
Could Ferguson have made more money somewhere else? Perhaps as a professional chess player? Ferguson is an internationally rated chess master. After Ferguson graduated from high school, he contemplated a career as a professional chess player. To his parents’ dismay, he skipped college and played chess in Europe full-time. After a year, he decided to forego chess because it is a “solitary endeavor.” Ferguson appreciates the beauty of chess, but “it doesn’t make the world a better place.” He wanted a broader impact on people’s lives. He went to the University of Washington, then New York University Law School and worked in a federal public defender’s office in Brooklyn.
In his element as a lawyer and a politician, as in chess, Ferguson watches for blunders and anticipates his next move. He was the first AG to sue President Trump on the infamous travel ban. It’s one of the 33 lawsuits Ferguson brought against the Trump administration. Seventeen decisions were in the state’s favor, with 8 or 9 affirmed, the rest could be appealed.
Ferguson said the lawsuits brought by the states, regardless of party line, is a form of check-and-balance. He cited that even conservative pundit Charles Krauthammer applauded the democratic AGs for stepping in, filling the gap prompted by the dysfunctional Congress. He said AGs ensure laws are followed; they are not solution oriented.
Ferguson deflected rumors of him running for governor in 2020. He will seek a third term as AG should Gov. Jay Inslee run for re-election. For someone who doesn’t like to make decisions until he has to, Ferguson will need to decide at the end of this year. He said his appeal to the Asian community “in any job” he holds is “ensuring everyone’s civil rights are protected, focusing on all communities in the state in a way that we haven’t in the past.”
In 2015, Ferguson created a civil rights unit in his office and named it after Wing Luke, believed to be the first person of color to be an attorney in the AGO. Luke was Assistant AG in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Prior to the formation of the Wing Luke Civil Rights Unit, Ferguson said, no one in the AG’s office handled affirmative civil rights work. Complaints were referred elsewhere. He said the unit has grown and would become a division. He was preparing to announce the news to his team that afternoon. A division becomes permanent which no AG, likely someone who didn’t share Ferguson’s view, can dismantle.
Fittingly, the SIRC was a pioneer in civil rights as one of the first Rotaries in the nation to admit women. According to club history, SIRC filed a lawsuit in the Federal District Court of Seattle “seeking an injunction against Rotary International from expelling the club” for admitting women. The club admitted 15.
Ferguson spoke at length about the case on behalf of youths involved with the Development, Relief, Education Alien Minors (DREAM) Act. The Act granted undocumented minors, the so-called Dreamers, conditional residency with eventual permanent status if qualifications are met. The subsequent Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) provided temporary relief for these Dreamers, 18,000 in Washington, and 800,000 nationwide. President Donald Trump removed the protection 15 months ago, leading to possible deportation to countries the Dreamers don’t know. Ferguson joined other AGs challenging Trump’s decision, which led to an injunction, halting any action.
Ferguson explained that the Dreamers’ fundamental rights of due process is deeply American, although the issue of immigration is controversial.
“The Dreamers had to come out of the shadows first.” They were encouraged to share information that were promised not to be used against them. Ferguson said, “The federal government made no assurances that the information will not be used to deport them” after Trump’s decision. “A deal is a deal,” Ferguson added.
So far, the lower courts agreed with the AGs. No federal decision will be made this year, and the Dreamers are safe for now.
It is well known the AG has a deep disagreement with Trump. Ferguson is most concerned about the increased rhetoric on the press, the judiciary.
“These institutions are stronger than any one individual,” Ferguson said. He worries about the long-term damage done in the way Trump communicates.
To continue his defense of Washingtonians, Ferguson is plotting his next move. Whether his visits to all the Rotaries in the state is to raise his political capital or not, it is a win-win situation. According to the Chinese zodiac, the snake is determined to accomplish goals, and the snake doesn’t like to lose. Ferguson agreed.
Becky can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.