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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2001

The Alaska Constitutional Legal Defense Conservation Fund on Thursday filed a lawsut in Alaska state court seeking to force Gov. Tony Knowles (D) to appeal the Katie John subsistence rights case to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The group says Knowles violated his duties as public trustee by not appealing the case. The group says he has to protect the constitution, which conflicts with federal law and the decision.

The decision affirms the right of the federal government to control federal waterways to uphold trust responsibilities to Alaska Natives. Elder Katie John started her case a decade ago, winning at every cout yet seeing objections from the state.

Knowles finally decided to drop the case in favor of a constitutional amendment to recognize some form of Native subsistence or rural subsistence.

Get the Story:
Suit would force Katie John appeal (AP 9/14)

Relevant Links:
Subsistence Amendment, Alaska Governor Tony Knowles - http://www.gov.state.ak.us/subsistence_amendment
Native subsistence rights, Native American Rights Fund - http://www.narf.org/pubs/justice/1999SPRING/spring1999.htm
Alaska Federation of Natives - http://www.akfednatives.org
Katie John et al. v. State of Alaska - http://www.mountainstateslegal.org/legal_cases.cfm?legalcaseid=64 Alaska Native Knowledge Network - http://www.ankn.uaf.edu/subsistence.html

Related Stories:
Alaska subsistence panel to meet (9/11)
Knowles criticized for Katie John decision (8/29)
Alaska won't appeal Native rights case (8/28)
Subsistence summit changes little (8/27)
March held for Native subsistence (8/22)
Subsistence summit calls for changes (8/17)
Subsistence summit begins in Alaska (8/16)

More on Katie John:
Katie John case having effects (5/11)
Alaska Native subsistence case upheld (5/8)
Norton cutting old associations (1/25)
Norton's legal work criticized (1/12)
Alaska Native elder dies (12/4)