News & Commentary

In March, the ACLU of Alaska’s Queer and Trans Justice team traveled to Juneau to attend the Just Transition Summit.

Since the Alaska legislature started its session in January, we have been working to cover a wide variety of bills that implicate Alaskans’ civil rights and liberties.

The ACLU of Alaska joined the national American Civil Liberties Union, and 18 other ACLU affiliates across the country by submitting a friend-of-the-court brief in Grants Pass v. Johnson.

On Tuesday, the House Community and Regional Affairs committee in the Alaska Legislature canceled a scheduled hearing on deaths of Alaskans in Department of Corrections (DOC) custody, which have occurred at record rates since 2022. Here's what we were going to say in testimony.

This bill does not propose to ban gender- affirming care or create criminal or automatic civil liability for physicians in Alaska who provide gender- affirming care. Still, this bill is bad for trans Alaskans, and we oppose HB 338.  

While both medical and geriatric parole require additional assessment work by DOC and the Board, reviewing and granting eligible applicants' parole could assist with skyrocketing costs associated with an older and sicker prison population.

This week, Governor Mike Dunleavy introduced a bill that would violate Alaskans’ rights to free speech and assembly. It was a stark reminder that in his time as governor, Dunleavy has repeatedly targeted and violated the First Amendment rights of Alaskans.

We’ve modified the Love Languages – the different ways we give and receive love – to share the specific actions we can all take to show civic love to our fellow Alaskans.   

The Alaska State Commission for Human Rights is seeking other reports of individuals who have experienced religious discrimination while incarcerated at an Alaska jail or prison or individuals who have not been allowed to practice religion while incarcerated in an Alaska jail or prison.