Cases

The ACLU of Alaska works tirelessly in the courts to defend your constitutional rights and expand your civil liberties. We specialize in impact litigation, which means that we carefully and thoughtfully represent clients in lawsuits that have the potential to not just help them, but also a large number of Alaskans.

Filter Cases
A man panhandles on the side of a public sidewalk as people walk by.
Dec 10, 2014

Ballas v. Anchorage

Free Speech
Status: Defending liberty
In 2011, Anchorage passed a controversial ordinance forbidding residents from asking for donations or protesting by sitting or laying on the city’s public sidewalks, countering centuries of American...
Visit case page
A black and white image of a prison fence.
Nov 18, 2014

Duryea v. Alaska

Criminal Legal Reform
Status: On appeal
For over 20 years, Alaska courts have said that prisoners who were found guilty but mentally ill have the same right as any other prisoner to apply for parole and show that they are not dangerous; the...
Visit case page
Two women stand on a boat out at sea.
Apr 25, 2014

Schmidt v. Alaska

LGBTQIA2S+ Rights
Status: Victory!
Alaska allows cities to reduce property taxes on elderly or disabled married couples, but wouldn't allow same-sex couples access to that benefit. The ACLU of Alaska, along with the national ACLU LGBT...
Visit case page
Wooden gavel
Wooden gavel
Feb 11, 2013

Alaska v. Ivan

Alaska Native Rights
Status: On appeal
Due to a reduced run of king salmon, Alaska closed the lower Kuskokwim River’s subsistence fisheries in summer 2012. Fishing for salmon is a key part of the Yup’ik religion and 21 people allegedly...
Visit case page
Wooden gavel
Wooden gavel
Jul 18, 2011

K.L. vs D.M.V.

LGBTQIA2S+ Rights
Status: Decided
K.L., a transgender woman, was told she had to submit proof that she underwent gender reassignment surgery in order to keep the driver's license that identifies her as a woman. We filed suit on her behalf...
Visit case page
Wooden gavel
Wooden gavel
Jun 25, 2010

Cadle v. Alaska

Privacy
Status: Lost
In 2010, the Alaska Department of Law seized hundreds of private patient files from a Ketchikan medical office. It did not tell the patients that it took their files, it did not give them a way to get...
Visit case page