60 Years Later: The Alaska Constitution, History in Context — videos and symposium materials available online

"60 Years Later: The Alaska Constitution, History in Context" drew over 75 attendees on October 12 at the UAA/APU Consortium Library.

The symposium was co-sponsored by the UAA Justice Center and the Alaska Law Review in cooperation with the Historians Committee of the Alaska Bar Association. The program was approved for 4.5 CLE credits (including 1.5 Ethics credits) by the Alaska Bar Association. Prof. Ryan Fortson, J.D., Ph.D., is the Justice Center faculty coordinator for this event.

The topic of this year's symposium was selected in anticipation of the sixtieth anniversary of Alaska statehood. The Constitution of the State of Alaska was adopted by the Alaska Constitutional Convention February 5, 1956; ratified by the people of Alaska April 24, 1956; and became operative with the formal proclamation of Alaska statehood on January 3, 1959.

Erwin Chemerinsky,
Dean of Berkeley Law

Erwin Chemerinsky, Dean of Berkeley Law, was keynote speaker for the event. Symposium topics included the Alaska Judicial Council and the merit selection of judges, Alaska Native perspectives on Alaska's Constitution, a presentation on unpublished materials written by the late Judge Thomas B. Stewart — who served as secretary of the Alaska Constitutional Convention — about the movement for Alaska Statehood and the development of the Alaska Constitution, and a lunchtime conversation between retired Judge Sen K. Tan and Alaska Constitutional Convention delegate Vic Fischer.

The Alaska Law Review will be publishing an issue at a later date with articles prepared for the symposium. The Alaska Law Review is published by Duke University School of Law for the Alaska Bar Association. Meantime, symposium drafts of conference papers and videos of all sessions are available for download at the UAA Justice Center website.

Erwin Chereminksy, Dean, Berkeley Law delivers the keynote address at the Alaska Law Symposium "60 Years Later: The Alaska Constitution, History in Context," 12 Oct 2018.

Panel on "A Comparative Persepctive of the Alaska Constitution." Left to right: moderator Tom Metzloff of Duke University and presenters G. Alan Tarr, Rutgers University and Center for State Constitution Studies, and Robert F. Williams, Rutgers School of Lawz

Panel on "The Alaska Judicial Council and Merit Selection of Judges." Left to right: Judge Larry Card (ret.) and presenters Susie Mason Dosik, administrative attorney for the Alaska Judicial Council, and Brett Frazer of Latham & Watkins.

Prof. Ryan Fortson, UAA Justice Center (right) introduces "A Native Perspective of Alaska's Constitution" panelists (seated left to right): Andy Erickson of Landye Bennett Blumstein LLP, John "Sky" Starkey of Landye Bennett Blumstein LLP, and Willie Hensley, University of Alaska Anchorage.

Judge Sen K. Tan (ret.) and Alaska Constitutional Convention delegate Vic Fischer.

Justice Center co-sponsors Oct 12 symposium on the Alaska Constitution

In anticipation of the sixtieth anniversary of Alaska statehood, "60 Years Later: The Alaska Constitution, History in Context" will be presented Friday, October 12 at the UAA/APU Consortium Library. The symposium is co-sponsored by the UAA Justice Center and the Alaska Law Review in cooperation with the Historians Committee of the Alaska Bar Association. Admission is free, and lunch will be provided.

Date: Friday, October 12
Time: 8:30 - 1:15 p.m.
Place: UAA/APU Consortium Library, LIB 307
Parking: Free parking on Fridays.

This symposium is geared for lawyers, members of the judiciary, representatives of Alaska Native organizations, state government officials, UAA students, faculty, and staff, and members of the public. The Alaska Law Review will be publishing an issue at a later date with articles prepared for this symposium.

This program has been approved for 4.5 CLE credits (including 1.5 Ethics credits) by the Alaska Bar Association.

Program

Keynote Address

• Erwin Chemerinsky, Dean, Berkeley Law

“A Comparative Perspective of the Alaska Constitution”

• Professor G. Alan Tarr, Rutgers University; Center for State Constitution Studies
• Professor Robert Williams, Rutgers School of Law; Center for State Constitution Studies

“The Alaska Judicial Council and Merit Selection of Judges”

• Susie Mason Dosik, Administrative Attorney, Alaska Judicial Council
• Brett Frazer, Latham & Watkins

“A Native Perspective of Alaska’s Constitution”

• John “Sky” Starkey, Landye Bennett Blumstein LLP
• Willie Hensley, University of Alaska Anchorage

Lunch Presentation

• Mike Schwaiger, Alaska Bar Association, Historians Committee

Lunch Conversation

•  Vic Fischer, Member of the Alaska Constitutional Convention & Hon. Sen Tan, Alaska Superior Court, ret.

Prof. Ryan Fortson, J.D., Ph.D., is the Justice Center faculty coordinator for this event. Questions? Call 907-786-1810 or email uaa.justice@alaska.edu.

Call for papers on Alaska's Constitution for October symposium

Papers are being accepted for the Alaska Law Review and Justice Center sponsored symposium on the Alaska Constitution to be held Friday, October 12, at UAA.

In recognition of the 60th anniversary of Alaska statehood in January 2019, the Alaska Law Review is dedicating its December 2018 issue to the Alaska Constitution and hosting, with the Justice Center, a symposium on that topic.

This is the third in a series of  jointly sponsored symposiums designed to bring together students, lawyers, academics and judges on current and pressing legal issues facing Alaska. Past topics have included the changing implications of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act and environmental and economic changes facing Alaska.

The December 2018 issue of the Law Review will be a "Symposium Publication" issue that includes articles related to the symposium topic.

Suggested topics for papers relevant to Alaska's Constitution include:

• The history and evolution of the Alaska Constitution
• Important Alaska Supreme Court constitutional law cases
• Significant provisions of the Alaska Constitution
• Emerging constitutional issues
• Recommendations for amendment
• Comparison to other state constitutions

Submissions of any length are welcome. Deadline is August 1, 2018, with the possibility of extension if necessary. Contact the Alaska Law Review staff by email or read Alaska Law Review's submission guidelines..

Dr. Sharon Chamard attends International ECCA Symposium

Escuela Superior de Economia y Negocios in San Salvador
hosted 26th International Symposium on Environmental
 Criminology and Crime Analysis.

Dr. Sharon Chamard, Justice faculty, attended the 26th International Symposium on Environmental Criminology and Crime Analysis (ECCA) in ESEN (Escuela Superior de Economía y Negocios) in San Salvador, El Salvador in June. Dr. Chamard, who teaches environmental criminology, is one of about 50 people from around the world who met to discuss the latest research in environmental criminology and the spatial and temporal analysis of crime.

Prof. Brandeis presents at Cannibis Law Institute in Denver

Prof. Jason Brandeis, Legal Studies faculty,  provided a perspective on Alaska marijuana law and regulations at the Cannabis Law Institute in Denver, Colorado, July 28-29.  Presented by the National Cannabis Bar Association and the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, the two-day event focused on legal issues facing attorneys and businesses in the cannabis industry. Prof. Brandeis was invited to participate in a panel discussion of the laws and regulatory systems of the western states. He gave an overview of Alaska's regulatory and licensing framework and the unique challenges and controversies the industry faces in Alaska.

Prof. Brandeis teaches courses on the American legal system, constitutional law, and civil liberties, and is a frequent speaker on constitutional law and other legal topics.  Prof. Brandeis also maintains a private law practice through which he advises clients on marijuana law and policy questions.  He has also provided legal services to the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol in Alaska

Drs. Rosay and Myrstol present at the 15th Annual National Indian Nations Conference

Dr. André Rosay, Justice Center Director, and Dr. Brad Myrstol, Justice Center faculty, recently presented at the 15th National Indian National Conference.  Drs. Rosay and Myrstol joined a panel of experts at a day-long workshop to discuss "National Institute of Justice Sponsored Research Initiatives in Indian Country and Alaska Native Villages."

Dr. Rosay discussed "Impact of Violence Against American Indian and Alaska Native Women and Men," and Dr. Myrstol presented on "Tribal Research Stakeholder Guidance" and "From Periphery to Center: Stakeholder Input as Data."  The all-day workshop highlighted several relevant National Institute of Justice programs and research that can provide a deeper understanding of the issues faced by American Indian and Alaska Native people and communities to help formulate public policies and prevention strategies to decrease the incidence of crimes.

Justice Center faculty present at American Society of Criminology 2016 Annual Meeting in New Orleans

Drs.  André Rosay, Troy Payne, Marny Rivera, Brad Myrstol, Sharon Chamard, Allan Barnes, Cory R. Lepage, and Lindsey Blumenstein made presentations at the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Criminology in New Orleans in November. This year's conference theme was "The Many Colors of Crime & Justice."

Justice Center faculty made 10 presentations on a range of topics: data from the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS) -- including elder abuse and polyvictimization, homeless young adults in Anchorage, civil legal needs of crime victims in Alaska,  data centers for criminal justice research, police referrals for prosecution in sexual assault and sexual abuse of a minor cases, public inebriates, and classroom teaching methods.

The American Society of Criminology is an international organization whose members pursue scholarly, scientific, and professional knowledge concerning the measurement, etiology, consequences, prevention, control, and treatment of crime and delinquency.

L to r: Dr. Cory R. Lepage and Dr. Marny Rivera at
their ASC presentation.

ANCSA at 45: Videos and symposium materials online

Videos and symposium materials for the day-long symposium "Adapting for the Next Generation:  The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) at 45 and the 32d Annual Alaska Native Law Conference" are now available online at the UAA Justice Center website at 

http://tinyurl.com/ancsa-at-45

The videos in the series were produced and edited by Eric Baldwin, UAA Academic Innovations and eLearning.

Videos include:

1. Symposium Introduction & Keynote: Raina Thiele (40:14 mins.)
2. Panel I: ANCSA and the Future of Tribal Jurisdiction in Alaska (1 hr 15:48 mins)
3. Panel II: Challenges and Opportunities for Alaska Native Corporations (56:58 mins.)
4. Panel III: Federal Legislative Update (47:56 mins.)
5. Panel IV: State Legislative Update (51:03 mins.)
6. Panel V: Case Law Update (47:35 mins.)
7. Panel VI: Protection of the Attorney-Client Privilege in the Joint Representation of Parent Companies and Their Subsidiaries (Legal Ethics Session) (54:07 mins.)

The complete series of videos are also available as a playlist at the UAA Justice Center YouTube channel.

The symposium, held October 14, 2016 at the UAA/APU Consortium Library on the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) campus, drew over 75 attendees including lawyers, Alaska Native village and corporation representatives, state and federal agency staff, and UAA faculty and students.

The free day-long symposium was co-sponsored by theUAA Justice Center, the Alaska Law Review (ALR), and the Alaska Native Law Section of the Alaska Bar Association. Coordinators of the program were Prof. Ryan Forston, J.D., Ph.D., of the UAA Justice Center; Christian Vazquez, Articles Editor of the Alaska Law Review; and Bruce Anders, co-chair of the Alaska Native Law Section of the Alaska Bar Association.

The Alaska Law Review will be publishing an issue at a later date with the articles prepared for the symposium.

Keynote speaker, Raina Thiele, former Associate Director of Intergovernmental Affairs &
Public Engagement for the White House, addresses the symposium.

Dr. Chamard presents at CCEL Urban & Rural in Alaska Community Engagement Conference at UAA

Dr. Chamard (at podium) discusses her project.

Dr. Sharon Chamard, Justice faculty, presented at the October 21 Urban & Rural in Alaska: Community Engagement at UAA Conference sponsored by the Center for Community Engagement and Learning (CCEL).

A group of over 25 UAA faculty were part of the "Rapid-Fire Community Engagement at UAA" lunch session.  Faculty members each had 2 minutes to present information on their community-engaged project.  Dr. Chamard discussed, "Did closing a liquor store change the neighborhood?"

The conference also featured a keynote address, and break-out sessions with faculty, community partners and students presenting together on a variety of community-engaged projects.

Kara Joseph, CCEL Office Manager (seated at left), and
Dr. Judith Owens-Manley, CCEL Director, listen to Dr. Chamard's presentation.

 

UAA College of Health faculty and students present at Housing and Homelessness Conference in October

Drs. Troy Payne and Sharon Chamard, Justice Center faculty, presented at the "University and Community Partnerships" session at the Alaska Coalition on Housing and Homelessness (ACH2) Annual Conference in Anchorage on October 11.

Dr. Payne and Dr. Donna Aguiniga, UAA School of Social Work, discussed their research project, "Space, Place & Home: Mapping the Social Environment of Anchorage Homeless Populations." Their research, in partnership with Covenant House, focused on homeless youth. Through interviews and the use of maps, the researchers asked youth to trace the locations they traveled to throughout the day and evening, and where they slept at night.

Dr. Sharon Chamard presented on "Homeless Encampments" and discussed her research that  examines why homeless encampments exist where they do and the factors that make one location preferred over another. She often works with the Anchorage Police Department Community Action Policing (CAP) Team to address public safety concerns, including homelessness and the use of public space.

Dr. Travis Hedwig, UAA Department of Health Sciences, explained the project, "Increasing Retention, Graduation, and Educational Success Among UAA Students Experiencing Homelessness." Dr. Kathy Trawver, School of Social Work, and Isabel Hakala, a Health Sciences Dept. student, are also working on this project. They used publicly available information on Free Student Application for Federal Aid (FAFSA) forms from UAA students to gauge the number of UAA students experiencing homeless - the form specifically asks about experience of homelessness. The goal is to ascertain the needs of homeless UAA students and assist them in their college career.

UAA College of Health nursing students also presented about their service learning project from the Nursing Therapeutic II class - the Senior Nursing Capstone Project - and their partnership with Karluk Manor, a Housing First model residence in Anchorage. This cohort of nursing students began a community nursing project to provide home visits to residents of Karluk Manor. Their goal was to determine how this experience of a home visit project influenced student nurses' views about community nursing and its value. Asst. Prof. Rachel Muir, FNP-BC, was the faculty for this class.

The session was moderated  by Dr. Travis Hedwig with the UAA Department of Health Sciences.

 

Dr. Hedwig opens the program and discusses the number of students
at UAA experiencing homelessness

Dr. Aguiniga describes the Anchorage youth homelessness project she and
Dr. Payne have been working on.

Dr. Payne explains the mapping and interview process used with
the Anchorage homeless youth who volunteered to participate in the study.

Dr. Chamard discusses homeless encampments and her future research
on social networks that are often part of the camps.

 

UAA student nurses present data on their community nursing project.

UAA presenters at the Housing and Homeless Conference - l to r: UAA Health Sciences Student Isabel Hakala,
Dr. Donna Aguiniga, UAA School of Social Work; Asst. Prof. Rachel Muir, UAA School of Nursing;
School of Nursing students: Mary Mills, Mai Lor, Glory Ramirez, Katie Krueger, Jessi Pepper, Angelene Ketah, Amanda Bedrosian, and Kailyn Vaughn; Asst. Prof. Travis Hedwig, UAA Dept.of Health Sciences;
UAA Justice Center faculty Dr. Sharon Chamard and Dr. Troy Payne.

Alaska Native Law Symposium co-sponsored by Justice Center draws lawyers, Native village and corporation representatives, and state and federal agency staff

Keynote speaker, Raina Thiele, former Associate Director of Intergovernmental Affairs and
Public Engagement for the White House, addresses the symposium.

 "Adapting for the Next Generation:  The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) at 45 and the 32d Annual Alaska Native Law Conference" drew over 75 attendees on October 14 including lawyers, Native village and corporation representatives, state and federal agency staff, and UAA faculty and students. The free day-long symposium was co-sponsored by the UAA Justice Center, the Alaska Law Review (ALR), and the Alaska Native Law Section of the Alaska Bar Association, and was held at the UAA/APU Consortium Library.

Raina Thiele, former Associate Director of Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Engagement for the White House, was the keynote speaker.

Symposium topics included: "ANCSA and the Future of Tribal Jurisdiction in Alaska," "Challenges and Opportunities for Alaska Native Corporations," "Federal Legislative Update," "State Legislative Update," "Case Law Update," and "Protection of the Attorney-Client Privilege in the Joint Representation of Parent Companies and Their Subsidiaries" (legal ethics session).

Read/download the materials from the symposium  on the Justice Center website.  The video of the symposium will be uploaded to the Justice Center YouTube channel in early November. The Alaska Law Review will be publishing an issue at a later date with the articles prepared for this symposium.

Prof. Ryan Forston, J.D., Ph.D., Justice Center faculty, was the UAA coordinator; Christian Vazquez, Articles Editor, Alaska Law Review, was the ALR coordinator; and Bruce Anders, co-chair of the Alaska Bar Alaska Native Law Section, was the Section coordinator; for the symposium.

Read KYUK Bethel's story which is partially based on interviews conducted at the symposium:
 "The State, Native Corporations Stake Their Positions As The Push For Indian Country Begins" by Johanna Eurich, KYUK Bethel Public Media for Alaska's Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. 17 Oct 2016.

More photos from the conference:

Prof. Ryan Forston, J.D., Justice Center (at podium), opens the symposium.

William Robinson (at podium), Executive Articles Editor with the Alaska Law Review, co-sponsor of the symposium, discusses the goals of the event and the publication of the articles prepared for the symposium.

Bruce Anders (at podium), co-chair of the Alaska Bar Alaska Native Law Section,
co-sponsor of the symposium, welcomes the attendees.

Panelists (far right - l to r) Liz Medicine Crow, First Alaskans Institute; Elizabeth Hensley and John "Sky" Starkey,
Landye Bennett Blumstein, LLP; Natalie Landreth, Native American Rights Fund; and Prof. Ryan Fortson,
Justice Center; discuss tribal jurisdiction in Alaska.

Panelists (l to r) Bruce Anders, CIRI; Maude Blair, Alaska Federation of Natives; Aaron Schutt, Doyon Ltd.;
William Robinson and Christian Vazquez, Alaska Law Review; and Kim Reitmeier, ANCSA Regional Association;
speak about challenges and opportunities for Alaska Native corporations.

Christine Williams, Outlook Law LLC (at podium), presents during the Federal Legislative Update.

Miranda Strong (l), Alaska Department of Law, a panelist for
the Federal Legislative Update, speaks after the program
with Johanna Eurich of KYUK Bethel. 

Panelists (l to r) for the State Legislative Update session: Jana Turvey, Leisnoi, Inc.; Matt Singer, Holland & Knight; and Kevin Anselm, Alaska Division of Banking & Securities.

Brennan Cain, The Eyak Corporation  (seated center), and Matt Mead, Landye Bennett Blumstein LLP (at podium),
present the Case Law Update.

Matt Newman, Native American Rights Fund, presents during the Case Law Update.

L to r: Moderator Peter Boskofsky, Afognak Native Corporation, and Peter Jarvis, Holland & Knight, during the
legal ethics session of the symposium.

Prof. Ryan Forston, UAA Justice Center (left), and the Alaska Law Review student editors who assisted with the symposium
pause for a photo following the event - (l to r)  Austin Freeman, William Robinson, Christian Vazquez, Evan Glustrom, Michael Paparozzi, Andrew McMillan, Savannah Best, Jeremy Muhlfelder, and Michael Rosengart.

Dr. Blumenstein presents on intimate partner violence at Alaska Maternal Child Health & Immunization Conference

Dr. Lindsey Blumenstein, Justice faculty, presented at the 2016 Alaska Maternal Child Health & Immunization Conference in Anchorage on September 27.  She discussed "Intimate Partner Violence, Mental Health, and Food Insecurity."

In her comments, Dr. Blumenstein noted that preliminary evidence suggests intimate partner violence (IPV) impacts food insecurity, and food insecurity is clearly associated with adverse mental health problems. She suggests that given the high rate of IPV in Alaska, more research is needed to clarify the interaction of IPV and food insecurity on the mental health of women across racial/ethnic groups, especially American Indian and Alaska Native women.

A focus of the conference was best practices or tools for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of key women's, children's, and adolescents' health issues in Alaska. This biennial event is sponsored by the Alaska Native Epidemiology Center and the Alaska Division of Public Health, Section of Women's, Children's, and Family Health.

Justice Center co-sponsors Oct 14 conference on Alaska Native Law issues and Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act

"Adapting for the Next Generation:  The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) at 45 and 32d Annual Alaska Native Law Conference" will be presented on Friday, October 14 at the UAA/APU Consortium Library. The event is co-sponsored by the UAA Justice Center, the Alaska Law Review, and the Alaska Native Law Section of the Alaska Bar Association.

Date: Friday, October 14
Time: 8:30 - 4:45 p.m.
Place: UAA/APU Consortium Library, LIB 307
Parking: Free parking on Fridays.
Registration: Free

The keynote speaker is Raina Thiele, former Associate Director of Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Engagement for the White House.

This free day-long symposium is geared for lawyers,  members of the judiciary, employees and leaders of Alaska Native corporations, representatives of Alaska Native organizations, state government officials, and UAA students, faculty, and staff. The Alaska Law Review will be publishing an issue at a later date with the articles prepared for this symposium.

This event has been approved for 6.25 MCLE credits (including 1 ethics credit) by the Alaska Bar Association. 

Topics include:

• ANCSA and the Future of Tribal Jurisdiction in Alaska
• Challenges and Opportunities for Alaska Native Corporations
• Federal and State Legislative Updates
• Case Law Updates
• Protection of the Attorney-Client Privilege in the Joint Representation of Parent Companies and their Subsidiaries (approved for 1 MCLE ethics credit)

Prof. Ryan Forston, J.D., Ph.D., is the Justice Center faculty coordinator for this event. Questions? Call 907-786-1810 or email uaa_justice@uaa.alaska.edu.

Prof. Brandeis presents on complying with federal and state marijuana laws at CannaCon conference

Prof. Jason Brandeis, J.D, was a speaker at the CannaCon conference held September 10 in Anchorage. His presentation, "Compliance with State and Federal Marijuana Laws: Navigating the Legal Landscape," provided attendees with an overview of the current federal and state marijuana laws - with a focus on Alaska - and information about potential future marijuana law and policy changes.

Prof. Brandeis teaches courses on the American legal system, constitutional law, and civil liberties, and is a frequent speaker on constitutional law and other legal topics.  Prof. Brandeis also maintains a private law practice through which he advises clients on marijuana law and policy questions.  This law practice preceded this presentation, and included providing legal services to the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol in Alaska.

Dr. Rosay presents at National Native American Law Enforcement Association conference in August

Dr. André Rosay, Justice Center Director, was a guest speaker at the 24th Annual National Native American Law Enforcement Association (NNALEA) National Collaborative Training Event in Las Vegas in August.

Dr. Rosay's presentation on "Violence against American Indian and Alaska Native Women and Men" was based on his recently published National Institute of Justice  (NIJ) research report, Violence Against American Indian and Alaska Native Women and Men: 2010 Findings from the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey.

The NNALEA is a nonprofit organization founded in 1993 in Washington, D.C. The mission of the NNALEA is to promote and foster mutual cooperation among American Indian law enforcement officers/agents/personnel and their agencies, tribes, private industry, and the public.