Alaska Supreme Court
In the Matter of the 2021 Redistricting Cases, In the Matter of the 2021 Redistricting Cases, In the Matter of the…
April 21, 2023528 P.3d 40
Summary
The opinion explains the court's expedited rulings concerning Alaska's 2021 legislative redistricting plans. It holds that the Board sufficiently followed the Hickel process, that the superior court applied an overly demanding public-comment version of the hard-look standard, and that most challenged districts satisfied constitutional requirements, while the Cantwell appendage to House District 36 was unconstitutional. The opinion also upholds the refusal to void the entire plan for Open Meetings Act violations and reaffirms the constitutional framework governing gerrymandering, socioeconomic integration, compactness, and fair representation.