Paul N. Farmer, Appellant v. State of Alaska, Department of Law, Office of the Attorney General, Appellee

Summary

The Alaska Supreme Court affirmed the denial of Farmer’s petition to expunge his felony convictions. It held that, even assuming Alaska courts possess inherent authority to expunge criminal records, such relief is reserved for exceptional or extraordinary circumstances, which Farmer did not establish through his illegal-search or firearms-rights arguments. The court also held that the superior court’s dismissal with prejudice did not bar a motion for reconsideration and that any failure to provide procedural guidance caused no prejudice because the appellate review was de novo.