In the lead up to its Nov. 5 court date the ACLU of Alaska is attempting to drum up support for a lawsuit it filed against Governor Dunleavy veto of $334,700 from the Alaska Court System’s 2020 budget. The governor’s action came after the Alaska Supreme Court ruled that the state had to pay the exact amount for so-called “medically necessary” abortions performed in 2018.
On Tuesday, Nov. 5, at 2 p.m., the ACLU is organizing a rally in front of the Boney Courthouse in Anchorage. Immediately following the rally, the ACLU will be in court to fight Dunleavy’s veto.
In an announcement for the public to campaign outside the courthouse, the ACLU claimed that the veto threatens the independence of the Supreme Court from political entanglements and outside public pressures. It also admitted that one of the key motivations for filing the suit is that it supposedly “attacks women’s rights, reproductive rights, and low-income Alaskans.”
“What will be threatened next?” the ACLU stated in an email promoting the rally. “LGBTQ+ rights? Workers’ rights?”
Supporters of Dunleavy’s veto argue that he is fully within the limits of his power to veto funds, and that it is not the jurisdiction of the courts to require the that legislative and executive branches approve a specific level of funding for the courts.
The upcoming rally will be held on public property and Alaskans from differing opinions are within their legal rights to attend and voice their opinion.
