CONSTITUTIONAL LAW Supreme Court of Alaska (2022) Scott Anderson In State v. Alaska Legislative Council, 515 P.3d 117 (Alaska 2022), the supreme court held that the Alaska state legislature could not appropriate future education funds from a future fiscal year’s budget. (Id. at 119). In 2018, the legislature passed and the governor signed a law Continue Reading »
CONSTITUTIONAL LAW & CRIMINAL PROCEDURE Court of Appeals of Alaska (2022) Alex Bartlow In Gomez v. State, 516 P.3d 879 (Alaska Ct. App. 2022), the court of appeals held that (1) statements made by a victim during the initial portion of a 911 call were not testimonial in nature, so their admission at trial did Continue Reading »
ELECTION LAW, CONSTITUTIONAL LAW Margot Graham In Alaska Public Offices Commission v. Patrick, 494 P.3d 53 (Alaska 2021), the Alaska Supreme Court held that statutory contribution limits are unconstitutional in the context of independent expenditure groups (Id. at 60). Individual plaintiffs filed complaints with the Alaska Public Offices Commission (APOC), alleging that to independent expenditure Continue Reading »
CONSTITUTIONAL LAW & CRIMINAL PROCEDURE Sasha Kahn In Perozzo v. State, 493 P.3d 233 (Alaska Ct. App. 2021), the court of appeals held that a police officer’s request for a vehicle passenger’s identification before subsequently conducting a warrants check is not part of a “routine” traffic stop, meaning it cannot be done “without a reasonable Continue Reading »
CONSTITUTIONAL LAW Emma Giusto In Dunleavy v. Alaska Legislative Council, 498 P.3d 608 (Alaska 2021), the supreme court held that Alaska Statute § 39.05.080(3) and House Bill 309, both of which provided that legislative inaction on the Governor’s appointments was akin to a rejection, were unconstitutional. (Id. at 612–13). In 2020, Governor Dunleavy provided over Continue Reading »
CONSTITUTIONAL LAW Kate Goldberg In Antenor v. State, Department of Corrections, the supreme court held that denying an inmate access to a computer programing book based on security reasons did not violate the Alaska Constitution’s free speech provision or the constitutional right to reformation. In 2017, inmate Antenor attempted to order a computer programming book Continue Reading »
CONSTITUTIONAL LAW Daisy Gray In Barnebey v. Department of Administration, Division of Motor Vehicles, the supreme court held that a Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) hearing officer did not violate Barnebey’s due process rights by revoking his driver’s license because of his breath test results without considering margin of error evidence. A state trooper stopped Barnebey Continue Reading »
CONSTITUTIONAL LAW Macklin Willigan Forrer v. State In Forrer v. State, 471 P.3d 569 (Alaska 2020), the supreme court held that a debt-creating statute was unconstitutional because (1) subject-to-appropriations bonds are “debt” for purposes of Article IX, section 8 of the Alaska Constitution—and thus require Alaska voters’ authorization—and (2) the legislative scheme authorizing the Continue Reading »
CONSTITUTIONAL LAW Jacob Keohane Dalton v. State In Dalton v. State, 477 P.3d 650 (Alaska App. Ct. 2020), the court of appeals held that prohibiting a paroled felon from accessing the internet without his probation officer’s permission is an undue restriction on liberty. (Id. at 656). In 2017, Kevin Dalton sexually assaulted his sleeping Continue Reading »
In Amy S. v. State,[1] the supreme court held that when a party’s due process rights are violated, a failure by that party to make a plausible claim of prejudice resulting from that violation requires a finding of harmless error. The Department of Health and Social Services, Office of Children’s Services (OCS) filed an emergency Continue Reading »
