Michael Fox papers, 1961-1997

Scope and Content: This collection traces a series of legal cases arising out of the June 19, 1971 arrest for trespassing of Seattle-King County Legal Services attorney Michael Fox and union organizer Guadalupe Gamboa of the UFW Co-op in Toppenish. Fox and Gamboa visited the Rogers Walla Walla Inc. migrant labor camp following Gamboa's contact with workers there who had grievances regarding their working and living conditions. When they attempted to meet with workers, Rogers employees refused them entry without their naming the individuals they were meeting with and the purpose of their meeting. Fox and Gamboa refused to provide names, reasoning that employees named would be in potential danger of losing their jobs or worse. Rogers representatives called the sheriff who arrested Fox and Gamboa for trespassing and fined them $25 each. Fox and Gamboa appealed their conviction to the Superior Court of the County of Walla Walla, which affirmed the conviction in December 1971. Fox and Gamboa then appealed to the Washington State Supreme Court, which reversed the finding of the Superior Court in May 1973. This established an important precedent for future organizers and attorneys in the state. The State of Washington sought a hearing in the United State Supreme Court, which refused to hear the case. In Fox v. Klundt [Walla Walla County Sheriff] et al, Fox brought a civil suit against representatives of Rogers Walla Walla for damages and received a settlement of $6,000. Records include legal materials and newspapers articles relating to the court cases. Other records relate to the State of Washington v. Michael Fox, 1973.

Scope and Content: This collection is primarily comprised of documents relating to the State of Washington v. Fox court case and appeals process, which spanned from 1971-1974. The case began on June 19th, 1971 when Michael Fox and Guadalupe Gamboa were arrested for trespassing in a migrant workers camp run by the Rogers Walla Walla Company. A transcript from the case relating to the incident is in Box 1, Folder 5. After being found guilty in the District court (Box 1, Folders 10 and 14), Fox and Gamboa took the case through the appeals process where it finally was heard by the Washington State Supreme Court, (Box 1, Folder 21-23). The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Fox and Gamboa and therefore set a legal precedent of the right of lawyers and union organizers to have access to migrant workers on private lands. The collection contains documentation and transcripts from all of the trials as well as the pre-trial correspondence between Fox and various organizations in his effort to secure amicus briefs (Box 1, Folder 13-15). Multiple articles relating to the case have also been placed into this collection (Box 1, Folders 4, 27 and 32). In addition, there are articles about Michael Fox’s career as a judge (Box 1, Folder 37, 38), as well as articles that Fox wrote or that he collected (Box 1, Folders 26, 30, 31, 34 and 35).