Matthews was replaced on the court by Morgan Christen. '"[3][4], In 2007, Matthews dissented in the 32 Supreme Court decision of Alaska v. Planned Parenthood in which the Court struck down Alaska's law requiring parental consent for minors to obtain abortions while Matthews supported the law, arguing: "Without a parent's consent, [minors] may not become licensed drivers or get married or obtain general medical or dental treatment. If the measure (or an equivalent measure) is not adopted, the law is then placed before voters. Attorneys for the Girdwood area plaintiffs had argued. .race_header { width: 50%; parental consent for minors to obtain abortions, State of Alaska, Community and Economic Development, "Retired Supreme Court judge back behind the bench", "Supreme Court allows burglary conviction", "Government gets between you and your child", "Retailers in bind on tobacco after Alaska SC ruling", "Associate Justice Craig F. Stowers (AK)", "Attorneys General of Alaska - Daniel S. Sullivan", "House of Representatives - Lindsey Holmes", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Warren_Matthews&oldid=1103485288, This page was last edited on 9 August 2022, at 21:19. Anchorage Superior Court Judge Thomas Matthews ruled that the board must revisit how it arrived at the maps. I feel this was a really thoughtful decision by the court, and I think its a great decision for the East Anchorage plaintiffs, said attorney Holly Wells, who represented them in court. Some of those texts took place around the time of a closed-door session intended to set district boundaries. width: 57%; } padding-top: 8px; The Supreme Court in March found constitutional issues with elements of a map drawn by the board last fall. However, he noted that the Michigan Supreme Court required the redistricting commission there to disclose documents from its attorney that were discussed in a closed session. (Binkleys sons and daughter are the owners of the Anchorage Daily News, and Binkley himself does not have a role in the ADNs operations. Former Homer judge arraigned on perjury charges, Former Judge Margaret Murphy could face 10 years in jail if convicted, Search continues for respected North Slope scientist who was swept under logjam, The 28th anniversary of Erin Marie Gilberts disappearance, How to watch Alaska's News Source your way with our family of streaming apps. The proposed state House map puts Rep. Grier Hopkins, D-Fairbanks, into a district whose voters overwhelmingly picked former President Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election. PDF Judge Matthews Survey Ratings If the board decides to make changes in the East Anchorage maps, it could affect the Senate pairings for at least four House districts, and potentially eight or more House districts. Supreme Court intervenes: Puts hold on judge's - Must Read Alaska Copyright 2023 KTUU. Matthew C. Christian - District Court Judge, Fourth Judicial District Mailing Address: 101 Lacy St. Fairbanks, AK 99701 Age: 45 Place of Birth: Owatonna, Minnesota Spouse's Name: Heather Christian Children's Name(s): Cora Christian Length of Residency in Alaska: 1994-1996; 2002-current Alaska Communities Lived in: if(document.getElementsByClassName("reference").length==0) if(document.getElementById('Footnotes')!==null) document.getElementById('Footnotes').parentNode.style.display = 'none'; .courts-container { background-color:#fcfcfc; width:100%; border:1px solid black;padding:5px;text-align:center;clear:both; } } determine control of the state House and Senate. "[5][6] Later that year, Matthews wrote the dissenting opinion in the 32 Supreme Court decision Godfrey, d/b/a Mendenhall Valley Tesoro v. State of Alaska, Community and Economic Development, in which the court supported Alaska's law holding retailers legally liable if their employees (even unknowingly) sold tobacco to minors. On April 10, 2020, six business organizations filed a legal challenge to Lt. Gov. .inner_percentage.Libertarian { Matthews wrote that when the matter was sent back to the board, the majority of the Board appears to have assumed it could reach the same result - two reliably conservative senate seats for Eagle River - if only it submitted the senate pairings to additional public comment, regardless of what the public actually preferred., The judge said he found the board intentionally discriminated against the communities of Girdwood and South Anchorage in order to maximize senate representation for Eagle River and the Republican party.. $('.collapse').collapse('show'); "The reason we went in and did that is one of our major jobs is to protect the health and safety of all our members and all Alaskans," said Jake Metcalfe, the executive director of the ASEA. Judge Matthew McCrary Scoble - PlainSite Murphy was represented by her attorney, Jeffrey Robinson, with independent prosecutor Clint Champion also present. The deadline for a candidate to enter this years election is June 1, and many potential candidates have said theyre waiting for the results of the redistricting process before they decide whether or not to enter this years races. On Friday, Superior Court Judge Thomas Matthews presided over the arraignment via Zoom. background-color: #f9f9f9; I need to tell, because this is a Class B felony, Ms. Murphy, the maximum penalty is 10 years in jail and $100,000 fine, Matthews said. Alaska Redistricting trial comes down to conflicting opinions of judge Matthews will be the assigned trial judge, and a trial date has yet to be determined. margin-top: 0px; Bishar . font-size: 20px; While he stopped short of finding that the board reached a consensus in private, Matthews wrote that he saw ample evidence of secretive process at play. As chief justice, he also served concurrently as chairman of the Alaska Judicial Council. position: relative; Click here to contact us for media inquiries, and please donate here to support our continued expansion. Click here to contact us for media inquiries, and please donate here to support our continued expansion. Various factors, including the requirements of the state constitution, mean that districts vary in population. On July 6, 2023, Matthew Davis 33 years old from Anchorage, Alaska was cited by the Alaska Wildlife Troopers during the Bristol Bay Salmon Enforcement Program for Commercial Fishing Closed Waters in the Egegik District. display: inline-block; } Citing 'secretive process,' judge overturns map of East Anchorage The map that the judge ordered be adopted was the other option the board had considered when weighing a revised map. The same holds true for the East Anchorage senate pairings., All three Republican appointees are registered Republicans, and the two independent-appointed ones are undeclared voters. color: black; The Alaska Supreme Court has stayed the Superior Court order by Judge Thomas Matthews that directed the Alaska Redistricting Board to adopt Map 2 for Senate pairings for East Anchorage, Eagle River, and Girdwood. In his decision, Matthews found that the board violated the state Open Meetings Act by apparently holding discussions in private that should have been in public and failing to adequately explain why it was meeting in private. U.S. Congress | a[aria-expanded=false] .fa-chevron-down { display: none; } May 2007 - Aug 20074 months. .votebox-results-cell--x { Matthews opposed the law, arguing that the law was too broad in not allowing a retailer to argue that a clerk was not negligent. .race_header.democratic { } background: #4c4c4c; He was appointed to the Alaska Supreme Court on May 26, 1977. Under court rules, the Supreme Court has until April 1 to make a decision. } East Anchorage attorney Holly Wells responds to arguments put forward by Alaska Redistricting Board counsel Matt Singer (top right) about what Judge Thomas Matthews (top left) meant when he sent the board back to the drawing table to fix its unconstitutional political gerrymander. Becky Bohrer is a reporter for the Associated Press based in Juneau. color: black; font-weight: bold; Alaskas constitution requires only that Senate districts be composed as near as practicable of two contiguous house districts, but Wells said joining Eagle River with Muldoon violates the equal-protection clause of the Alaska Constitution because it constitutes a geographic gerrymander (with partisan and racial undertones) in violation of the Alaska Constitution., Attorney Matt Singer is representing the board and said the plaintiffs case is a myopic attempt to secure a political outcome through litigation.. He was a co-founder of Matthews & Zahare, where he worked on civil litigation from 1994 to 2018. margin-right: 12px; On Tuesday, Superior Court Judge Thomas A. Matthews denied the request for a TRO, which is only part of the overall ASEA suit. The public portion of the record leads to only one reasonable inference: some sort of coalition or at least a tacit understanding between members Marcum, Simpson, and Binkley, Matthews said. div.survey-scrollbox { height:400px; overflow:scroll; margin:20px; padding:10px; border:1px solid gray; } overflow-y: auto; overflow-y: hidden; } Valdezs solution, Singer said negatively, is to blow up half the states socio-economic integration.. background-color: #003388; display: block; .percentage_number { Any appeal must be filed by Thursday. A judge has found that the Alaska Redistricting Board violated the state constitution in how it drew theSenate districts for Eagle River and East Anchorageand for theSoutheast Alaska House district that includes Skagway. margin-bottom:0px; font-size: .9em; } Federal courts | $('.hideResponses').hide(); Metcalfe couldn't say how many state employees were still in offices as of Tuesday, but said that while the denial of a TRO is disappointing, the state has taken action to get more state employees working from home. (Emily Mesner / ADN). He wrote that a quick vote to adopt Senate districts immediately after a meeting closed to the public raised concerns. So if the board decides to make that change, it would only affect the two House districts that include Juneau, Skagway, Haines and Gustavus. Thomas M. Cooley Law Schools, Cum Laude, January 2002 Judge Matthews then asked if Murphys attorney wanted the charges read in court. She said during one meeting that she believed it was inappropriate for a board member to criticize another members proposed map during a public session and that such deliberative discussions were only appropriate during private sessions. vertical-align: middle; Binkley said he agrees with Simpson and said he believes it is important for the Supreme Court to weigh in on these issues.. The Matanuska-Susitna Borough sued on related grounds, saying that the inclusion of Valdez contributes to overpopulated House districts in the Mat-Su. For chambers contact information, please visit the Contacts Page. .votebox-results-cell--check { Juneau is too large for a single state House district but too small for two complete districts, thus requiring some kind of link. He won in the retention election on November 8, 2022. During last years redistricting process, board members frequently debated the best way to handle Valdez, which has about 4,000 residents.