The majority of funding in a campaign to oust a state Supreme Court justice in the Nov. 3 election comes from outside Alaska.
That’s according to a state campaign expenditure filing this week by the group Alaskans for Judicial Reform – Vote No Carney, first reported by the Anchorage Daily News.
The coalition of conservative and religious leaders is asking Alaskans — in video and print ads — to vote “no” on retaining Alaska Supreme Court Justice Susan Carney. They oppose Carney’s retention based on her rulings related to sex offenders’ due process rights, abortion and the Permanent Fund Dividend.
Governor Bill Walker appointed Carney to the state’s highest court in 2016.
The group opposing her retention reported Monday that the Washington, D.C.-based Family Research Council gave their campaign $10,000 this month. The Family Research Council’s stated goal is to, “advance faith, family and freedom in public policy and the culture from a Christian worldview.”
The local group Alaska Family Action has also given the campaign $4,000, and the Monday report shows Art Mathias, an Anchorage real estate agent, also made a personal contribution of $2,500.
The Alaska Judicial Council, the nonpartisan state commission that vets judicial candidates and issues independent recommendations for voters, says Alaskans should vote to retain Carney. A group called Vote Yes – Retain Sue Carney is running videos on Facebook featuring retired judges, the Tanana Chiefs Conference board and others voicing their support for Carney.
The Vote Yes – Retain Sue Carney group has spent less than the $5,000 required for disclosing campaign contributors.
Casey Grove is host of Alaska News Nightly, a general assignment reporter and an editor at Alaska Public Media. Reach him atcgrove@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Caseyhere.
