News & Commentary

On Friday, the ACLU of Alaska received an extremely callous deflection from the City of Nome in response to the ACLU’s September 24 letter seeking justice for Clarice “Bun” Hardy. As Nome officials have done repeatedly, they have chosen to continue to deny justice for Ms. Hardy, and countless other Alaska Native sexual assault victims, by refusing to take responsibility for the Nome Police Department’s disastrous failures.

Anchorage, Alaska – The ACLU of Alaska is seeking justice for Clarice Hardy and other women residing in Nome who’ve been failed by local police. This systemic, decades long indifference toward Alaska Native women, on behalf of the Nome Police Department, has resulted in nearly crippling trauma for Hardy and countless others.

This annual scholarship, established in the memory of former board member Joan Hamilton, promotes the education of Alaskan students who wish to pursue a career related to the law, advocate for Alaska Native rights, and defend the constitutional rights of rural Alaskans.

The Department of Law, where I worked, was asked to resign & pledge loyalty to the incoming governor. This despite the fact that the oath lawyers take when admitted to the bar requires us to support & uphold the constitutions of Alaska and the United States — not to bow before a king or a dictator.

Today, the ACLU of Alaska filed suit against Governor Dunleavy to block his administration’s attempt to punish the Alaska Court System by vetoing $334,700 in its 2020 budget because the Alaska Supreme Court ruled in a manner at odds with his political views.

The Governor candidly admitted that he vetoed this allocation in retaliation for the Alaska Supreme Court’s substantive decisions. Withholding court system funding in an attempt to control judicial decisions is a stunning attack on the separation of powers, which is crucial to our democracy.

House Bill 49 is bad policy, fraught with attacks on the rights and protections guaranteed to all Alaskans under the U.S. and Alaska constitutions. Among these include protections against excessive government fines, as well as the rights to bail and the presumption of innocence.

Brian Hall, a Cherokee Indian who is currently a prisoner at Goose Creek Correctional Center (GCCC), wants nothing more than to practice and express his faith by wearing items with personal religious significance, a right denied to him by the Alaska Department of Corrections (DOC).

ACLU of Alaska implores Rep. Fields and his colleagues to relocate their humanity and commit to finding legal and compassionate solutions to Anchorage’s homelessness issues.