
Voters to decide fate of Alaska judges – including one at the Supreme Court
2020 promises to be year full of political drama, especially in the presidential election. The Alaska general election ballot includes not just the presidential race, but also a U.S. Senate and U.S. House race that may be hotly contested, and likely some


Round 2: Alaskans to testify on bill clarifying there’s no state right to abortion
If the first round of testimony is any indication, Friday’s hearing on a bill clarifying that nothing in Alaska’s Constitution can be interpreted as granting a right to abortion should be eventful. More than 100 people were left waiting to testify on


Losing our children: A snapshot of Alaska’s population loss
School-age children now account for just 18% of Alaskans, down from a peak of 29.2% in 1970. The population of 5 to 17-year-olds has dropped drastically since 2000 after 50 years of strong growth. The March issue of Trends, published by the State of Alaska,


Plan to ease override of governor vetoes set for Mar. 4 hearing
A measure to ease legislators ability to override a veto by Alaska’s governor will be taken up again on Wednesday in the Alaska Legislature. The proposed constitutional amendment (HJR 15) would reduce the required number of votes for a veto override from


Being socialist or atheist is political liability in 2020
A new study from Gallup reports that 90% of Americans would vote for a presidential candidate who happened to be black, Catholic, Hispanic, Jewish or a woman. The number drops to eight in 10 who would vote for candidates who are evangelical Christian, gay or


Republicans let bill advance that eases veto override of Alaska governor
The more liberal members of the House Judiciary Committee voted to advance legislation to make it easier for the Legislature to override a governor’s veto. Representatives Matt Claman, D-Anchorage, Harriet Drummond, D-Anchorage, and Louise Stutes, R-Kodiak,


Chief justice claims Alaska judges not moved by ‘political interests’
In his Feb. 12 address to a joint session of the Alaska Legislature, Chief Justice of the Alaska Supreme Court Joel Bolger alluded to the court’s ongoing dispute with Gov. Mike Dunleavy regarding cuts to the judiciary’s budget following high court’s


Report shows why liberal judges rule Alaska
It doesn’t matter whether Alaska’s executive branch, legislative branch or the general population is conservative, Alaskans rarely see the appointment of conservative, constitutionalist judges. That’s because none of these groups have much say when it


Can’t get the votes? House looks to lower threshold for overriding vetoes
While Alaska’s House conservatives may have lost considerable power in the current session of the Alaska Legislature, the more liberal wing is already scheduling some hot-button legislation for committee hearings. On the docket for this week is a hearing on


Senator’s Facebook video shows why conservatives lost power in Alaska Senate
An animated Sen. Mike Shower of Wasilla took to Facebook (see video below) on Jan. 30 to explain to constituents why Alaska’s Republican majority Senate caucus has shifted to the left, leaving him and other conservatives with little influence over

