Alaska court sides with Dunleavy in appointments dispute
by Becky Bohrer, The Associated Press
Posted Apr 8, 2021 4:27 pm EDT
Last Updated Apr 8, 2021 at 4:44 pm EDT
JUNEAU, Alaska — The Alaska Supreme Court on Thursday sided with Gov. Mike Dunleavy, ruling that the state constitution requires legislators to decide on gubernatorial appointments in a joint session.
The court also struck down a provision of law dealing with appointments as unconstitutional, saying that appointments requiring confirmation remain in effect until the legislature acts on them in joint session.
The court, in a brief order, reversed a ruling by Superior Court Judge Philip Pallenberg from February that found Dunleavy was prohibited by law from making recess appointments of the same people lawmakers had failed to confirm.