Washington State Court Says Innocent Must Be Proven Guilty

Good news for opponents of forced treatment, fans of the Constitution, etc.

Judges can't order people facing drunken-driving charges to undergo alcohol-use evaluations, get treatment or start going to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings in order to stay out of jail, the state Court of Appeals ruled this week.

Forcing people to talk to an alcohol counselor about their drinking habits and their alleged crime -- before they've been found guilty of anything -- violates their right to remain silent and raises other legal problems, the court said.

The cost of attending meetings was another issue the court looked at here. No word whether they delved at all into the religious or cultlike nature of AA itself. Whatever the court's reasoning, it's nice to see they got where they did.

More here from the P-I. Thanks to P-Dawdy for the tip.