The Washington State Supreme Court has just ruled in a major case, dismissing Sen. Lisa Brown’s challenge to Initiative 960 which (among other things) requires a two-thirds vote of lawmakers to raise taxes. Last session, Lt. Gov. Brad Owen (who presides over the Senate) had enforced the two-thirds vote requirement, drawing the legal challenge. Justices heard the case last summer. Rich Roesler of the Spokesman Review has a synopsis of the case on his blog.
To date most public discussion of possible tax measures have involved a referendum to the people, which would not be subject to the two-thirds vote requirement. Still, this is an important ruling to have in place before lawmakers begin to roll out their budget proposals in the coming weeks.