Alaska Dispatch
According to the Juneau Empire on Sunday, Gov. Sean Parnell has signed off on House Bill 36, which sets new financial disclosure requirements for ballot initiative campaigns and gives new duties concerning initiatives to the lieutenant governor’s office.
According to the Anchorage Daily News, Alaska Supreme Court Justice Morgan Christen has decided to remove herself from a position to decide on the lawsuit to invalidate a ballot initiative that would require doctors to notify parents if their minor child seeks an abortion. Years ago, Christen had served on the board of Planned Parenthood, the group that brought the suit, and The Alaska Family Council, an anti-abortion group, sent out e-mail alerts telling its members to contact judicial officials and object to an alleged conflict of interest. A “barrage” of messages ensued.
According to the Anchorage Daily News, a Superior Court judge has ruled against the legal challenge filed by Planned Parenthood of Alaska against a ballot initiative that would require doctors to notify a parent if a daughter under the age of 18 is seeking an abortion. The challenge was based on a previous Alaska Supreme Court decision that an earlier parental notification law violated patients’ right to privacy. Although the court decided this new initiative (set to go on the Aug.