Alaska Supreme Court, 2011

The Alaska Supreme Court affirmed termination of Christina’s parental rights, concluding that she had not remedied the conditions placing Gideon at risk within a time reasonable for a child of his age and needs.

The court abandoned the rule that a deceased criminal defendant's conviction automatically abates from the beginning of the prosecution. It held that a conviction remains intact when a defendant dies after filing an appeal, or after a petition for discretionary review has been granted, unless the defendant's personal…

The court held that the Tribes' challenge was ripe because the State had implemented policies that affected tribal child-protection and adoption proceedings, although the court limited its review to the fundamental jurisdictional issue.

The Alaska Supreme Court affirmed termination of the father's parental rights to three Indian children. It concluded that the superior court did not clearly err in finding that the father had not remedied the conditions placing the children at risk, that his custody would likely cause serious harm, and that…