Alaska Attorney General Kevin Clarkson has written that the Alaska Hire law is unconstitutional.
Clarkson wrote in a memo in response to a question from Gov. Mike Dunleavy that a provision of state law requiring some private employers to hire Alaskans violates both the state and federal constitutions. He said the state should stop enforcing it.
Clarkson wrote in the 11-page document that excluding nonresidents isn’t a legitimate purpose under both constitutions. He noted that both the U.S. and Alaska supreme courts have struck down previous versions of the Alaska Hire laws because the state couldn’t provide a legitimate reason justifying discrimination against nonresidents.
