The provisions of this chapter shall be construed liberally for the accomplishment of the purposes thereof. Nothing contained in this chapter shall be deemed to repeal any of the provisions of any other law of this state relating to discrimination because of race, color, creed, national origin, citizenship or immigration status, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, age, honorably discharged veteran or military status, or the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability, other than a law which purports to require or permit doing any act which is an unfair practice under this chapter. However, to the extent that distinction or differential treatment on the basis of citizenship or immigration status is authorized by federal or state law, regulation, or government contract, it is not an unfair practice. Nor shall anything herein contained be construed to deny the right to any person to institute any action or pursue any civil or criminal remedy based upon an alleged violation of his or her civil rights. This chapter shall not be construed to endorse any specific belief, practice, behavior, or orientation. Inclusion of sexual orientation in this chapter shall not be construed to modify or supersede state law relating to marriage.
RCW 49.60.020
Construction of chapter—Election of other remedies.
Known as the Washington State Civil Rights Act
The act spans §§ 49–49 (66 sections).
Applied in 117 court decisions — leading case 97 Wash. 2d 317 - Franklin County Sheriff's Office v. Sellers (1982)
Most recently applied in State v. Arlene's Flowers, Inc. (June 2019)
2020 c 52 s 2; 2007 c 187 s 2; 2006 c 4 s 2; 1993 c 510 s 2; 1973 1st ex.s. c 214 s 2; 1973 c 141 s 2; 1957 c 37 s 2; 1949 c 183 s 12; Rem
How often courts cite this section
Court decisions citing this, by year. The dip in the last several years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so recent citations are undercounted.
Official source: Washington State Legislature. Reproduced from public-domain Washington statutes; confirm against the official source for the current text. Not legal advice.