Program refunds $5.2 million after Washington Supreme Court’s State v. Blake ruling

The Lake Refund Bureau has refunded more than $5,200,000 to almost 5,000 cases after the Washington State Supreme Court’s February 2021 ruling in State v. Blake, speakers said.

The ruling, State v. Blake, held that the state’s original drug-possession law in place from 1971 until 2021 was unconstitutional. A speaker at the event said that because of the court decision, “Anybody that paid on their legal financial obligations in that 50 years needs to have their money returned to them.”

Speakers described the Lake Refund Bureau as a first-in-the-nation program intended to make vacate reimbursements transparent and accessible. “This is a first in the nation program. We are setting a standard for how to provide these vacate reimbursements in a way that is transparent with taxpayer dollars and also easy for folks that are entitled to it to access,” a speaker said.

Speakers gave the refund totals and the approximate case count but did not provide a breakdown of how funds were disbursed, eligibility criteria, or the timeline for remaining reimbursements.

Background: the Washington State Supreme Court’s February 2021 decision in State v. Blake struck down the statute that criminalized simple possession as written; speakers at the event linked that decision directly to the subsequent refund work. The event discussion did not include details about whether additional legislative or administrative steps are required to complete all reimbursements, nor did speakers provide a comprehensive timeline for remaining outreach or appeals.

Speakers emphasized transparency and ease of access as program priorities, and described the Lake Refund Bureau as coordinating multiple stakeholders to implement reimbursements.

No formal action, motion, or vote was recorded in the transcript related to the refunds during the event.