A lawsuit against the state of Alaska over Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s decision to veto $334,700 from the budget of the state court system may proceed, an Anchorage judge ruled Thursday.
In an 11-page order, Superior Court Judge Jennifer Henderson said the Alaska chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union has “citizen-taxpayer standing” and thus can bring a lawsuit against the governor. The ACLU sued the state in July on behalf of two plaintiffs, saying the governor illegally cut the court system’s budget in retaliation for a ruling on abortion.
The state contends the governor was within his constitutional rights.
Henderson has not ruled on the merits of the ACLU’s lawsuit; her order only says that the ACLU is allowed to bring the lawsuit.