JUNEAU -- Anchorage Superior Court Judge Frank Pfiffner on Tuesday issued his final order against the Alaska Legislature in its lawsuit against Gov. Bill Walker over Medicaid expansion, starting a 30-day countdown for lawmakers to decide whether to appeal.
Pfiffner on March 1 ruled that Walker acted legally last year in expanding the Medicaid health care program without legislative approval.
The March 1 decision dismissed the case and closed it, and court officials said they were treating it as a final judgment -- which meant the deadline for an appeal would have been the end of the month.
But to be certain, the Walker administration filed a separate motion for a final judgment March 10. Pfiffner granted that motion Tuesday.
Now, lawmakers have to decide by early May whether to appeal to the Alaska Supreme Court, which would cost the Legislature another $150,000 on top of $250,000 already spent.
There's debate over whether that step would require a vote by the full House or Senate. Since last year, Republican leaders in both chambers have blocked votes on Medicaid expansion from coming to the floor. Having to vote on the appeal would present a similar situation: forcing legislators to take a stand on opposing Medicaid expansion in court, an issue that some have tried to portray as solely a separation of powers dispute between the legislative and executive branches.