Alaska

Republican-led states sue Biden administration over protections for transgender students and workers

Twenty Republican-led states sued the Biden administration Monday claiming that protections for transgender people, including access to bathrooms and locker rooms, are invalid under federal law.

Sep 1, 2021 10:12 AM CDT

Acting Alaska AG resigns amid allegations he had a sexual relationship with high schooler in 1991

Acting Alaska Attorney General Ed Sniffen resigned Jan. 27 before the publication of an article alleging he had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl that began on a moot court trip to New Orleans in 1991.

Feb 5, 2021 11:19 AM CST

Afternoon Briefs: State files 100th lawsuit challenging Trump policies; 2 more firms reverse pay cuts

California files 100th suit against Trump administration California and 21 other states have filed a lawsuit challenging a Trump administration rule that curtails the scope of environmental reviews conducted to assess the impact of actions by federal agencies. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said it is the 100th suit filed…

Aug 31, 2020 4:45 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Alaska attorney general resigns over text messages; lawsuit claims racial bias in concussion deal

Alaska attorney general resigns after text messages disclosed Alaska Attorney General Kevin Clarkson has resigned after a news investigation found that he sent more than 550 text messages in March to the cellphone of a younger employee. The texts invited the woman to Clarkson’s home, told her that she was…

Aug 26, 2020 4:36 PM CDT

Proposal would require New Jersey lawyers to reveal client information showing wrongful conviction

An ethics proposal in New Jersey would create an exception to the duty of client confidentiality when a lawyer has information that an innocent person has been wrongly incarcerated.

May 28, 2020 10:06 AM CDT

Do anti-mask laws make us all criminals? Lawyer who challenged this law sees issues

Are people who don masks to protect themselves during the COVID-19 epidemic breaking the law?

Apr 23, 2020 4:28 PM CDT

This Alaska lawyer blends life and law as a tribal court judge and an Orthodox Jew

How does a Jewish kid from Philly become a tribal court judge in Alaska? Just ask Judge David Avraham Voluck.

Feb 1, 2020 1:10 AM CST

No Country for Rural Lawyers: Small-town attorneys still find it hard to thrive

Solving the rural attorney shortage won’t be easy, given that few law graduates appear willing to set up shop in rural America. The situation is only expected to worsen in the near future, given that many lawyers in less-populated counties are approaching retirement age and no younger attorneys have moved in to replace them.

Feb 1, 2020 12:00 AM CST

2nd Circuit reinstates Sarah Palin’s defamation suit against the New York Times

A federal appeals court has ruled that a federal judge followed the wrong procedure when he dismissed a defamation suit filed against the New York Times by former vice presidential candidate and Alaska governor Sarah Palin. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at New York reinstated Palin’s suit Tuesday…

Aug 7, 2019 11:05 AM CDT

ACLU sues after Alaska governor cuts court budget to protest abortion ruling

The American Civil Liberties Union of Alaska contends that the state’s governor violated the separation of powers when he used a line-item veto to cut the court budget to protest abortion-related rulings. The ACLU filed a lawsuit last Wednesday seeking an injunction to prevent the budget cut by Alaska Gov.…

Jul 24, 2019 12:50 PM CDT

AG Barr announces funding, future plans to address public safety crisis in rural Alaska

A month after U.S. Attorney General William Barr visited Alaska to investigate the high rates of sexual assault and family violence and low police presence in rural communities, he has declared a law enforcement emergency in the state.

Jul 1, 2019 9:35 AM CDT

In states where inmates can vote, few exercise their right to cast ballots

When Sen. Bernie Sanders championed voting rights for prisoners during a CNN town hall, he spotlighted an intensifying national debate about why going to prison means losing the right to vote.

Jun 14, 2019 7:30 AM CDT

Are pets assets or part of the family?

California became the third state in the U.S. to adopt a law that allows judges to consider what’s in the best interests of the animal rather than treating the pet like other inanimate property, such as a car. Alaska and Illinois have passed similar laws since 2016. The new laws are groundbreaking because they come amid growing interest in protecting pets and settling disputes over them.

Jun 1, 2019 1:30 AM CDT

Alaska Native leaders to AG Barr: Help fix our law enforcement crisis

Alaska Native leaders called on U.S. Attorney General William Barr for federal aid and greater authority for tribes to prosecute certain crimes, saying Wednesday that a dangerous lack of law enforcement is growing worse in the state’s most remote communities. Barr, sitting beside U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, heard that…

May 31, 2019 7:30 AM CDT

Supreme Court rules for Alaska moose hunter, says he can ‘rev up his hovercraft’ again

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that the National Park Service did not have the authority to ban use of hovercrafts on Alaska’s Nation River. The high court ruled on behalf of moose hunter John Sturgeon, who piloted his hovercraft across the river in a national preserve to reach his…

Mar 26, 2019 2:35 PM CDT