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MONDAY, MAY 19, 2003

The Alaska Supreme Court in a unanimous decision struck down an Alaska Native hiring preference law.

The court said the North Slope Borough's law violated the state's constitution. "We hold that the borough lacks a legitimate governmental interest to enact a hiring preference favoring one class of citizens at the expense of others," the decision stated.

The borough enacted the ordinance in 1997 in response to high unemployment rates among Inupiat Eskimos. A non-Native man said he lost his job to an Alaska Native.

The case is Malabed v. North Slope Borough, S-9808.

Get the Story:
Native-hire preference not lawful (The Anchorage Daily News 5/17)

Get the Decision:
Malabed v. North Slope Borough (May 16, 2003)