Highest court in Alaska's state judicial system; hears appeals from the Court of Appeals and Superior Court.
courts.alaska.gov/courts/sup.htm ↗
Boney Memorial Courthouse, 303 K St, Anchorage, AK 99501
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Alaska Court System: Alaska Supreme Court Opinion No.7817, S-19197 Property division & child support in divorce & custody · Sep 10, 2026
Alaska Court System: Alaska Supreme Court Opinion No.7817, S-19197 Property division & child support in divorce & custody · Sep 10, 2026
Alaska Court System: Alaska Supreme Court Opinion No. 7818, S-18949, Alyeska International, Inc, d/b/a Alaska Sleep Clini · Sep 9, 2026
Alaska Court System: Alaska Supreme Court Opinion No. 7818, S-18949, Alyeska International, Inc, d/b/a Alaska Sleep Clini · Sep 9, 2026
Alaska Court System: Alaska Supreme Court Opinion No. 7818, S-18949, Alyeska International, Inc, d/b/a Alaska Sleep Clini · Sep 9, 2026
Alaska Court System: Alaska Supreme Court Opinion No. 7818, S-18949, Alyeska International, Inc, d/b/a Alaska Sleep Clini · Sep 9, 2026
Alaska Supreme Court rules early ICWA errors don't undo a later termination that followed the law
Alaska Supreme Court rules ICWA violations in a foster care placement do not invalidate a later, separate termination of parental rights, upholding a Palmer order.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4d ago3 min read
Alaska Supreme Court hears Valdez redistricting fee dispute
The Alaska Supreme Court heard arguments Thursday in Anchorage on whether Valdez and Mark Detter can recover attorney's fees and costs from their challenge to the 2021 legislative map.
by Walter AlaskaNews5d ago1 min read
Former Anchorage defense attorney Justin Facey sentenced to 20 years for drug trafficking
Former Anchorage defense attorney Justin Facey sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for fentanyl and meth trafficking tied to the Sanchez-Rodriguez organization.
by Walter AlaskaNews6d ago3 min read
Alaska Court of Appeals rules 2013 sex-offense sentencing law can't be applied to earlier crimes
Alaska Court of Appeals rules in Collins v. State that a 2013 law limiting sentencing panel referrals for sex offenses can't apply retroactively under the ex post facto clause.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago2 min read
Wasilla pot shop near Knik Charter School surrenders its state license
Shoreline Cannabis near Knik Charter School surrenders Wasilla marijuana license after losing Mat-Su Borough 1,000-foot school buffer case in court.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago2 min read
Alaska Supreme Court: spouse's word alone cannot shield inheritance in divorce
Alaska Supreme Court Dickerson ruling: inherited money mixed into a marital home is presumed marital property in divorce, and a spouse's word alone can't rebut it.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago3 min read
Alaska Supreme Court takes up Sitka assault where a woman owes $104,000 to the doctor who pleaded guilty to assaulting her
The Alaska Supreme Court will hear Breanna Wampler's appeal Nov. 20 after a Sitka jury, never told of Dr. Richard McGrath's guilty plea, ruled against her civil claims.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago3 min read
The Supreme Court will rule on Dunleavy's agriculture department after he's gone
The Alaska Supreme Court hears Gov. Dunleavy's appeal Nov. 19 over whether he could create a Department of Agriculture by executive order during a special session.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read
Alaska's new judicial ethics code changes reporting of incapacity and misconduct
A revised Alaska judicial ethics code takes effect Oct. 15 and clarifies when senior judges in assistance programs may disclose a referred judge's incapacity or misconduct.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read
Alaska Supreme Court declines emergency bid to open Fairbanks charter school
The Alaska Supreme Court declined to order the Fairbanks school district to take steps toward opening the Pearl Creek STEAM Charter School in August.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read
The court found an obvious error in his commitment and upheld it anyway
The Alaska Supreme Court upheld the involuntary commitment of a homeless Anchorage man despite finding the superior court erred on a statutory safeguard.
by Walter AlaskaNews4w ago3 min read
Alaska justices affirm commitment despite skipped consent inquiry
The Alaska Supreme Court on Friday affirmed a 90-day involuntary commitment and forced medication order for an Anchorage man, finding the superior court made an obvious mistake by never checking whether the Alaska Psychiatric Institute offered him voluntary treatment, but that the mistake was not prejudicial.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Alaska Supreme Court hears appeal over Kotzebue officer's immunity in 2022 shooting
The Alaska Supreme Court heard oral argument Wednesday in Anchorage on whether Luke Outwater's lawsuit over a 2022 Kotzebue police shooting can proceed against Sgt. David Cox, who was dismissed from the case on qualified immunity grounds.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
A parent does not lose custody by placing a disabled child in a facility, Alaska court rules
The Alaska Supreme Court held that a father still owes past and future support for the couple's disabled adult daughter, finding the mother kept primary physical custody by visiting, arranging care and paying expenses even though the daughter lived in an assisted care facility.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Alaska Supreme Court says a sleep clinic performs services in the field of health and owes the tax
The Alaska Supreme Court affirmed on July 17 that Alaska Sleep Clinic performs services in the field of health and owes corporate income tax for 2016 through 2018. A court video summary walks through the three arguments the justices rejected.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Alaska Supreme Court says a judge may remove a plaintiff from his own trial, after warnings
The Alaska Supreme Court held for the first time that a trial judge may exclude a disruptive civil plaintiff from his own trial after warnings, ruling in a June 5, 2026 property-line case that the right to be present is weaker in civil cases than in criminal ones.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Alaska Supreme Court rules: Officers Must Stop at Unclear Lawyer Requests
The Alaska Supreme Court adopted a state constitutional rule requiring police to stop questioning and clarify when a suspect makes an ambiguous request for a lawyer, affirming the reversal of Steven Ridenour's Kodiak murder conviction.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago4 min read
Alaska Supreme Court bars Nome from taxing hospital staff housing
The Alaska Supreme Court ruled unanimously that Nome cannot tax a seven-unit apartment building Norton Sound Health Corporation uses to house doctors and nurses, finding the housing 'vitally necessary' because Nome has no feasible short-term rentals. The ruling binds any Alaska borough with a tribal health facility, which is why the Kenai Peninsula, Ketchikan Gateway and Kodiak Island boroughs and the State of Alaska filed to support Nome, and Bristol Bay Area Health Corporation, a tribal health coalition and the United States filed to support the hospital.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago4 min read
Fourteen states weighed in on whether an Alaskan belonged on Alaska's ballot
The Alaska Supreme Court decided an election-administration appeal by summary order on June 29, 2026, and 66 days later has not published the promised opinion, leaving the reasoning and the ruling's effect undisclosed.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Alaska Supreme Court upholds rule requiring rent on expired oil leases during appeals
The Alaska Supreme Court on Friday upheld a DNR rule requiring oil and gas lessees to keep paying rent on expired leases while they appeal, making final the termination of five Badami Unit leases on the North Slope in which Daniel Donkel claimed an interest.
by Alaska News1mo ago2 min read
Alaska court: guardian, not child's lawyer, waives therapy privilege
The Alaska Supreme Court on Friday upheld the release of a 10-year-old Hooper Bay boy's psychotherapy records to his tribe, holding that a guardian ad litem's waiver of confidentiality for a child under 12 cannot be canceled by an objection from the child's own attorney.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Alaska Supreme Court upholds termination of Valdez mother's parental rights
The Alaska Supreme Court on Friday affirmed a Valdez superior court order ending a mother's parental rights, finding she neglected her three-year-old son by leaving him with a father who drank to unconsciousness and never remedied the conduct.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min read
Supreme Court lets Trump's mail-voting order advance, but Alaska's rules are unchanged for now
The U.S.The Supreme Court lifted an injunction on Trump's mail-voting order but didn't decide its legality. Alaska's rules are unchanged; a separate order blocks the key provision.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min read
Alaska's ranked-choice fight returns to the Supreme Court, months before a repeat repeal vote
The Alaska Supreme Court hears a challenge to ranked-choice voting next week, a week after the primary and months before a repeal vote on the November ballot.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Valdez lost its fight not to be lumped in with Mat-Su. All that's left is an $11,000 bill.
Valdez lost its fight against sharing a House district with Mat-Su, and all that remains is an $11,000 costs judgment now headed to the Alaska Supreme Court on Oct. 8.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Court says a tribe can't sue its health consortium in state court
The Alaska Supreme Court ruled Friday that the Tanana Chiefs Conference holds tribal sovereign immunity as an arm of its 42 member villages, affirming dismissal of Dot Lake Village's bylaws lawsuit and an $11,888 attorney's fee award against the tribe.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
The Alaska Supreme Court sent a 14-year Willow property fight back to Palmer, with the trail's path still undecided
The Alaska Supreme Court vacated the judgment mapping the Jigliotti Family Trust's access route around a Willow home, sending a 14-year Mat-Su property dispute back to the Palmer court.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
A Fairbanks blood-draw arrest raises a question about the evidence-tampering charge
Alaska State Troopers say Alfred Lee Nelson II, 46, resisted a court-ordered blood draw at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital after a July 25 speeding stop on the Mitchell Expressway, drawing a tampering charge on top of DUI and refusal counts.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago1 min read
A murder conviction is reversed because a suspect's question about a lawyer wasn't enough for police to stop
In an Aug. 7 opinion, the Alaska Supreme Court adopted a "stop and clarify" rule under the Alaska Constitution, requiring officers to halt questioning when a suspect makes an ambiguous reference to counsel. The ruling affirms the reversal of Steven Ridenour's murder conviction.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago3 min read
When a custody case is filed in both tribal and state court, whoever filed first wins, Alaska Supreme Court rules
The Alaska Supreme Court ruled that when a custody dispute is filed in both tribal and state court, the court where it was filed first is generally the preferred forum to decide it.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Alaska Supreme Court shields Nome hospital's staff housing from tax
The Alaska Supreme Court ruled Nome cannot tax a Norton Sound Health Corporation building housing doctors and nurses, finding the staff housing vitally necessary to the hospital.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Alaska Supreme Court says legislative immunity shields ethics committee from Reinbold suit
The Alaska Supreme Court ruled Friday that legislative immunity bars lawsuits over how the Legislature's ethics committee investigates and disciplines lawmakers, ending former Sen. Lora Reinbold's bid for investigative records and a public hearing.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago3 min read
The Sullivan who won his case lands on the ballot with no party
Daniel J. Sullivan won a court fight to stay on Alaska's U.S. Senate primary ballot, but the Division of Elections listed him with no party affiliation despite his Republican registration.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Alaska Supreme Court: divorce splits must account for who pays the taxes
Alaska Supreme Court divorce ruling: capital gains taxes on marital property sales must be fairly allocated with explained findings; 55/45 estate split upheld.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago1 min read
A sleep clinic said it isn't medicine. The court disagreed.
The Alaska Supreme Court ruled Alaska Sleep Clinic owes state corporate income tax because diagnostic sleep testing is a service in the field of health.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago2 min read
Two Dan Sullivans, and a ballot solution the state wrote itself
Division of Elections records confirm that Dan J. Sullivan of Petersburg and incumbent Sen. Dan S. Sullivan will both appear on the August 18 primary ballot. The challenger will be listed as 'Sullivan, Daniel J. Jr.' with no party affiliation, after the NRSC's letter requesting removal drew no comment from the division.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Petersburg pushed back when the state pulled Sullivan off the ballot
Letters released by the Alaska Legislature show Petersburg residents objected to the Division of Elections removing Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. from the U.S. Senate primary ballot.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Supreme Court to hear Alaska bush pilot's fight over $95,000 plane seized for a six-pack
The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Monday to hear Jouppi v. Alaska, a case in which the state sought to forfeit a Fairbanks bush pilot's $95,000 Cessna after a passenger carried a six-pack of Budweiser onto a flight bound for Beaver, a dry Interior village. The ruling could shape how courts weigh the gravity of an offense in Eighth Amendment forfeiture cases nationwide.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Alaska ballot will show two Dan Sullivans differently — here's what voters need to know
The Alaska Division of Elections released a sample ballot listing namesake challenger Dan J. Sullivan as 'Sullivan, Daniel J. Jr.' with no party affiliation, and incumbent Sen. Dan S. Sullivan as the incumbent, a resolution to a legal fight that ended at the Alaska Supreme Court ahead of the August 18 primary.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Alaska Supreme Court: parent who stays active guardian keeps custody when disabled adult child lives in assisted care
The Alaska Supreme Court ruled that a mother who visited weekly and served as legal guardian and conservator retained primary physical custody of her intellectually disabled adult daughter despite the daughter living in an assisted living facility, upholding $640 per month in support from the father.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read