ACLU v. Alaska

ACLU v. Alaska,
Supreme Court Case No. S-10459 (Ak.)

In this case, plaintiffs are attempting to convince the Alaska courts to interpret the state constitution to require that employment benefits provided to spouses of public employees be made available to same-sex partners of public employees. In order to do so, the court must accept plaintiffs’ claim that the constitutional amendment defining marriage, which was adopted in November 1998 applies only to the status of marriage and not to its benefits.

This case was decided on November 16, 2001. The Court rejected arguments suggesting that the Alaska Constitution required the extension of marital benefits to same-sex couples while explicitly denying marital status.

Current Status
The case is currently pending on appeal before the Alaska Supreme Court.

Case Files

Trial Court

Cite as: ACLU v. Anchorage (Alaska Superior Ct., )
Ak. Super. Ct. No. 3AN-99-11179 CIV (decided Nov. 16, 2001)

Supreme Court

Brief of Appellants (ACLU) (2.1mb)
Appellee Brief (State of Alaska) (3.77mb)
Appellee Brief (Anchorage) (2.07mb)
Reply Brief (ACLU) (1.65mb)

Alaska Catholic Conference Amicus (583kb)
North Star Civil Rights Defense Fund Amicus (1.04mb)