In 1985 Superior Court presiding judge Norman Quinn directed that Little not hear criminal cases involving juveniles after he discovered Little had taken a 14-year-old defendant from Bellevue, Washington, Christmas shopping for the boy's father.
Little defended his involvement with the boy, stating that it was important for those in the criminal justice system to "intervene in a dramatic and decisive way in the lives" of young people to deter them from a future life of crime.
A simultaneous inquiry by The Seattle Times was never published, though reporter Don McGaffin later recalled that he had personally witnessed Little kissing "a blond, blue-eyed male student" on one occasion in 1968 when he had walked into Little's office at the University of Washington.
[3] In July 1988, KING-TV aired a story about Little's earlier involvement with the Bellevue 14-year-old, after which Little announced he would not seek renewal of his term on the Superior Court, which was expiring that year, and instead depart Washington for California.
Following the KING-TV story, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reopened its earlier investigation of the Lakeside allegations and decided to move forward with publication, the new article being penned by reporter Duff Wilson.
[1] Initial public reaction to news of Little's death largely focused on the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and the belief it had hounded the judge, though the confidential operation of the state's Commission on Judicial Conduct and the suppression of its 1981 report also quickly came under scrutiny.
In a story published two months after Little's death, The Washington Post noted that "the explanations have centered on the traditional decorum and protectiveness of Seattle politics, libel laws, the gay-rights movement, the reluctance to besmirch a judge and, particularly, Little's solid public reputation and widespread friendships".