Living History

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Alaska Constitution Then and Now

Facilitator: Bob Hicks

Elected delegates determined to prove to Congress the political maturity of the Territory drafted the Alaska Constitution four years before statehood. This course begins with a general introduction and overview of that Alaska Constitution. Then a series of guest lecturers and panelists will offer expert insights into topics such as (a) unique features of the Alaska Constitution that avoid the shortcomings experienced earlier by other states, (b) post-statehood controversies in interpretations, (c) unforeseen difficulties in governmental administration, and (d) applications of constitutional principles to matters far beyond what the delegates ever could have predicted in 1955.

THE LECTURE SCHEDULE:

Lecture 1: The Alaska Constitutional Convention in Fairbanks, November 1955 through February 1956

Lecture 2: The Alaska Constitution: an Overview and Subsequent Court Interpretations (judicial activism vs. judicial restraint)

Lectures 3-8: Observations and Analyses of the Alaska Constitution 51 Years Later.

Article I: Declaration of Rights

The impact of the Warren Court After 1956-57

The Right to Privacy: Marijuana Possession and Abortion

Article IV: The Judiciary

“The Missouri Plan” for Merit Selection

An Integrated (Statewide) Court System

Unintended Consequences of Retention Elections

Article VI: Legislative Apportionment

Political Gerrymandering and Supreme Court Masters

Article X: Local Government

Organized and Unorganized Boroughs: Who Would Ever Vote To Tax Themselves?

Annexation: Legislative Review and Local Option

Article XI: Initiative, Referendum and Recall

The Products of Lawmaking By the Electorate

Article XIII: Amendment and Revision

Amendments and Why

Bob hopes to recruit retired and sitting Supreme Court justices, constitutional lawyers and local government experts to share their experiences and insights on the Alaska Constitution.