Advancing Tribal Court Criminal Jurisdiction In Alaska

Extensive case law already exists in Alaska on the jurisdiction of tribal courts over domestic relations cases, with one of the seminal cases—John v. Baker—establishing that Alaska tribes have jurisdiction even in the absence of Indian country. A common assumption, though, is that Alaska tribes do not have jurisdiction over criminal offenses. This Article argues that both under the logic of John v. Baker and the development of Indian law in the Lower 48, Alaska tribes already possess inherent jurisdiction over criminal offenses within their Native villages. With the gamut of social challenges facing Alaska Natives in rural Alaska, tribes need to be empowered to exercise this jurisdiction

A College Student's Guide to Landlord/Tenant Relations in Alaska

This guide for Alaska students preparing to rent an apartment gives answers to essential questions about renting an apartment, tenant rights, and landlord/tenant law in Alaska. The guide, structured in a question and answer format, covers renting an apartment, leases and subleases, living in the apartment, problems with the apartment, landlord powers, evictions, moving out, and public housing. The guide expands upon the "Housing" chapter (https://www.alaskabar.org/servlet/content/entering_the_real_world.html#Housing) for the Alaska Bar Association web publication Alaska Youth Law Guilde: A Handbook for Teens and Young Adults (https://www.alaskabar.org/servlet/content/youth_law_guide.html).Renting an Apartment / Leases and Subleases / Living in the Apartment / Problems with the Apartment / Landlord Powers / Evictions / Moving Out / Public Housin

Key Acts and Cases for Alaska Tribal Court Jurisdiction

This article provides an annotated survey of Alaska and federal case law and statutes tracing the development of tribal court jurisdiction in Alaska.Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) (1971) / Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) (1978) / Native Village of Nenana v. State of Alaska, 722 P.2d 219 (Alaska 1986) / Native Village of Venetie I.R.A. Council v. State of Alaska, 944 F.2d 548 (9th Cir. 1991) / Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List Act (1994) / State of Alaska v. Native Village of Venetie Tribal Government, 522 U.S. 520 (1998) / John v. Baker, 982 P.2d 738 (Alaska 1999) / In the Matter of: C.R.H., 29 P.3d 849 (Alaska 2001) / Kaltag Tribal Council v. Jackson, 344 Fed. Appx 324 (9th Cir. 2009) / State of Alaska v. Native Village of Tanana, 249 P.3d 734 (Alaska 2011) / McCrary v. Ivanof Bay Village, 265 P.3d 337 (Alaska 2011) / Simmonds v. Parks, 329 P.3d 995 (Alaska 2014)Ye

Survey of Tribal Court Effectiveness Studies

This article examines empirical studies that have been conducted on the effectiveness of tribal courts, both in terms of reduction in recidivism and participant attitudes, and a look at some of the challenges to implementing a tribal court effectiveness study in Alaska.[Introduction] / Alaska at a Glance / Studies of Effectiveness of Tribal Courts / Studies Conducted Throughout the Contiguous United States / Studies Conducted in Alaska / Additional Studies of Tribal Courts / The Need for More Research and Identified Obstacles to Overcome / Tribal Court Jurisdiction / Alaska’s Challenging Geography / Minor Consuming Alcohol as a Quantitative Measure / Conclusion / [SIDEBAR:] Tribal Court Studies — ReferencesYe

A Survey of Studies on Judicial Selection

The Alaska legislature is considering a bill — Senate Joint Resolution 3 — that would put before voters a state constitutional amendment to change the composition of the Alaska Judicial Council and the way its members are selected. The Alaska Judicial Council plays a constitutionally-mandated role in the selection of Alaska’s judges and also makes recommendations to voters concerning retaining or not retaining judges as part of the judicial retention election process. This article reviews selected existing studies relevant to potential effects of this proposed change to the council composition — studies that examined judicial effectiveness, responsiveness of judges to public opinion, and public perception of judges. Also provided are flowcharts of the selection processes for members of the Alaska Judicial Council and of judges of the Alaska Court System; a detailed table of judicial selection methods in U.S. states and the District of Columbia; and a bibliography.Studies on Nominating Commissions / Measures of Voter Satisfaction / Objective Measures of Judicial Performance / Complexity of Judicial Decisions / Judicial Productivity and Independence / Politicization of Judicial Elections / Conclusion / Resources on Judicial Selection (bibliography) / References (bibliography)Ye

Alaska Trial Court Case Filing Statistics, 2005–2012

This fact sheet describe case filings, caseloads, and types of cases filed in Alaska’s trial courts (Superior Court and District Court) during fiscal years (FY) 2005–2012. Data were extracted from Alaska Court System annual statistical reports. The report examines data on case filings, caseloads, and types of cases filed in Superior and District courts.Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of JusticeSuperior Court Filings / Superior Court Caseloads / Types of Cases / District Court Filings / District Court Caseloads / Types of Cases / Not

25 by \u2725: Extension\u27s Role in Rural Energy Development

With oil prices so volatile, Cooperative Extension agents can play an important role in the evolution of America\u27s new power source: agricultural producers who have an entrepreneurial spirit and the resources to create renewable energy. By acting as information brokers to farmers and ranchers, we can help them learn how to create and sell energy from wind, corn, sunflowers, soybeans, manure, and more. Government agencies are urgently adopting measures to provide funding and support the renewable energy industry. Extension\u27s contribution is a critical link in the chain of events that will lead to profitable ventures and energy independence

Identifying Barriers to Teacher Implementation of Evidence-Based Practices in Middle-School Reading

This study explores factors that may be related to Mississippi’s 2015 eighth-grade reading scores, which rank the state in 50th place (Nation’s Report Card, 2016). Whereas there are likely several factors that contribute to middle-school students’ poor performance on the high-stakes tests, this study examines teachers’ reported knowledge and use of evidence-based teaching practices, sense of self-efficacy in implementing the practices, and concerns regarding high-stakes testing and possible relationship with their implementation of the practices. All public schools in Mississippi were invited to participate in an online survey of sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade teachers. After data were screened, 187 teachers were selected. The online survey was used to collect information about teachers’ 1. Awareness of evidence-based practices; 2. Sense of self-efficacy; 3. Sense of self-efficacy in implementation of evidence-based teaching practices; 4. Path to certification; 5. Concerns regarding high-stakes testing; 6. Implementation of evidence-based practices. Structural equation modeling was used to determine the presence of direct and/or indirect effects of the factors considered. The findings show direct effects of teachers’ preparation for teaching on their implementation of some of the practices examined. Additionally, the path coefficients for the individual practices were larger for teachers whose preparation was through an elementary or secondary education program. Regarding sense of self-efficacy, direct effects on implementation of practices were found with slightly more than half of the practices considered. There was no effect of high-stakes testing concern on teachers\u27 implementation of evidence-based practices. These findings indicate possible relationships between teachers’ sense of self-efficacy and implementation of evidence-based practices, as well as a possible relationship between a teacher’s path to certification and implementation of evidence-based practices