In September 2023, U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan established his own Alaska Federal Judiciary Council. Its purpose is to recommend candidates for vacancies in the U.S. District Court for Alaska. Along with evaluating each applicant’s character and experience, he claimed the Council would seek candidates with “an unflinching commitment to the rule of law.”

I suspect he’s really looking for activist judges. That might explain why the Council has done its work behind closed doors and why Sen. Lisa Murkowski is unwilling to agree with his selection process to fill the two District Court vacancies in Alaska.

Either way, if the rule of law was really important to him, he’d stop turning a blind eye to the actions of the outlaw occupying the White House.

“Where do these initial three Judges come from?” President Donald Trump wrote last week in a social media post after a three-judge panel on U.S. Court of International Trade (ITC) unanimously ruled he violated the law by ordering tariffs under the guise of the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act. “How is it possible for them to have potentially done such damage to the United States of America?”

In March, Sullivan implied that Judge Sharon Gleason, Chief of the U.S. District in Anchorage, has been doing the same thing in Alaska. He promised “to make sure Alaska does not get a federal judge who sides with the far-left radical enviros on every case.”

That’s not an accurate representation of Gleason’s record. She ruled against environmentalists in at least two oil development cases. According to Jeff Feldman, a former attorney from Anchorage, about 80% of her opinions have been upheld on appeal. More importantly, he pointed out that Sullivan was out of line to suggest “a judge’s rulings are both wrong and politically motivated” because it “undermines faith and confidence in the judiciary.”

Sullivan seems to have learned that sordid trade from watching Trump do it every time he loses in court. Of course, he gets away with it largely because cowards like Sullivan refuse to defend the rule of law.

This time, Trump’s post about the ITC ruling wasn’t his typical rant about so-called “radical left judges.” That’s because Timothy Reif was a Senior Advisor to the administration’s Trade Representative when Trump nominated him to serve on the ITC.

It’s not just Reif who Trump thinks betrayed him. Another judge he appointed rejected his Alien Enemies Act justification for deporting Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador. Another ruled they should have been given the opportunity to challenge their deportations. Yet another concluded they deported a 20-year-old Venezuelan man in violation of a legally binding settlement.

Trump-appointed judges ruled against him in a case involving New York City’s congestion pricing program and a First Amendment complaint filed by the Associated Press. The three justices he appointed to the Supreme Court have let him down too.

That’s why he went looking for a scapegoat.

“I was new to Washington, and it was suggested that I use The Federalist Society as a recommending source on Judges,” he wrote after blasting the ITC.

Don McGhan probably gave him that idea and vetted every candidate submitted by The Federalist Society during his two years as White House Counsel.

But later, Trump “realized that they were under the thumb of a real “sleazebag” named Leonard Leo” who “probably hates America.”

What does that say about McGhan’s judgment? Or Senate Republicans who confirmed every nomination he submitted?

The real story is since returning to office Trump has routinely violated the law. Through May, three-quarters of the 128 rulings issued by federal judges have gone against him. He’s been on the losing side in 72% of those issued by Republican-appointed judges.

What’s worse than that pathetic record is the one he piled up during his brazen attempt to overturn the 2020 election. He lost 60 of the 63 rulings issued during that two-month stretch.

However, despite that steady stream of embarrassments, Trump is still president. And Sullivan wants to be absolutely sure that the most powerful person in America doesn’t call him a sleazebag because the judges he recommends have the audacity to value the rule of law over the demands of his master.

It’s right to ask whether Nick Begich is a noncongressman for Alaska. The latest evidence of it is his vote for the House tax bill, now passed to the Senate for reconciliation. The congressman said the bill is great for Alaska, but clearly it is not.

The bill is predicted to harm the 250,000 Alaskans who rely on Medicaid to help pay for their health care. About 14,000 of these are predicted to lose coverage right away with more to follow. Taking health care from people cancels their ability to preserve wellness, isolates them with worry, and sends them, sooner or later, to an emergency room with serious sickness or disease. This punishment would not be theirs alone. With the uninsured not able to pay for expensive emergency services, hospitals and insurance carriers are compelled to pass those costs on to all Alaskans.

Additionally, the tax bill would add a new line item to Alaska’s budget for food assistance (SNAP), a budget that already cannot adequately fund Alaska’s education system and other basic needs. Also alarmingly, the bill would add $3.8 trillion over a decade to the current national debt of $36.22 trillion, a debt that grows daily due to the monumental interest on it. Even without the tax bill’s added deficit, according to the Congressional Budget Office, if not paid down, the national debt by 2035 is projected to be at the alarming figure of $59.2 trillion.

Gallingly, the cuts to Medicaid and shift of SNAP costs to Alaska amount to a theft in plain sight. The cuts are to pay for tax cuts that give the top 95th to 99th percent of income earners ($460,00 to $1.1 million) an average tax cut of $21,000. The top 1% of earners ($5 million+) would receive an average tax cut of $300,000. For the middle 75% of income earners, the tax cut would average about $1,800. For the bottom 20% of incomes ($35,000 or less), the tax cut would be about $160. And for those making less than $20,000, they get a tax increase of about $40. How does Alaska benefit from a bill that hurts people, adds cost to the state, and raises the cost of health care for all Alaskans so the highest earning 5% can reduce their taxes by tens and hundreds of thousands of dollars? Servicing this debt would take 22% of federal revenue.

Only the top 5% of wage earners in Alaska could be looking forward to the House tax bill as something great as the congressman claims. The rest of Alaskans could instead be looking forward to the 2026 open primary and November election and the chance of no longer having a noncongressman for Alaska to blame for moral indifference and rising cost to the many for the increased financial gain of the rich.

Art Petersen is a 50-year resident of Alaska and professor of English emeritus from the University of Alaska Southeast.

The state continues to face fiscal uncertainty due to declining oil revenues resulting from lower oil prices. With limited financial resources, the Legislature must prioritize spending as efficiently as possible. Priorities. It is a word easily spoken but often applied incorrectly. I would like to highlight one of the many instances where I believe the House majority prioritized incorrectly.

On the House floor Monday, I authored and voted “yes” on an amendment to the capital budget to shift $500,000 from a Fairbanks courthouse to the Sterling/Seward Highway Corridor Critical Communication Upgrades project. We all know the Sterling Highway and Seward Highway are the only roads for vehicles traveling from the Kenai Peninsula to the rest of the road system communities. Right now, we are without an emergency communication system that fully covers this sparsely populated area.

I proposed allocating funds for communication upgrades that would be part of a joint effort between DOT, the Department of Public Safety, our first responders, and the Division of Forestry — entities that already collaborate closely to maintain radio systems during emergencies.

Currently, the $500,000 I mentioned above is allocated to the Rabinowitz Courthouse in Fairbanks for communications upgrades for elevators that transport inmates within the courthouse building. Let me be clear: I recognize the importance of safe and effective court facilities. However, our state courthouses have already undergone upgrades in recent years, including an $8.6 million, multiyear appropriation between FY23 and FY25, as well as a security system upgrade in 2017.

I don’t dispute that the courthouse may still have needs. However, when choosing between upgrades to courthouse elevator communications for prisoners or providing life-saving tools to first responders in the field, my priority is clear. I choose our first responders and travelers every time.

Alaskans deserve to know that when emergencies happen — whether it’s a wildfire, a vehicle crash, a medical emergency, or a criminal act — help is on the way and responders can communicate while en route to the crisis, and when they arrive at the emergency scene.

We must invest in communication infrastructure that supports our first responders and benefits our residents and traveling guests. On Monday, the House majority voted to prioritize inmates in a courthouse building over first responder communication gaps on the Kenai Peninsula. We must prioritize safety where it matters most: on the roads, in the field, and in the lives of Alaskans.

Whenever you have questions about state matters, please reach out to my office by emailing Rep.Justin.Ruffridge@akleg.gov or calling 907-465-2693.

This article was updated on Monday, May 19, to reflect the House majority leadership.

The first plane arrived at the Kenai Municipal Airport around 7 a.m. on Friday.

Aleutian Airways began service between Kenai and Anchorage Friday, with the first plane arriving at the Kenai Municipal Airport around 7 a.m.

Aleutian announced in March that it would join Kenai Aviation and Grant Aviation in providing service to the peninsula. The company is using a Saab 2000 aircraft, which seats 30.

According to its booking website, Aleutian flies between Kenai and Anchorage twice each day, with flights from Anchorage at 6:35 a.m. and 6 p.m. and flights from Kenai at 7:40 a.m. and 7:05 p.m. Tickets cost $145, the same price as the tickets from Kenai Aviation and Grant.

During a ribbon-cutting held by the Kenai Chamber of Commerce after the first Aleutian flight arrived in Kenai, Aleutian General Manager Brian Whilden said their Saab 2000 can complete the flight between Kenai and Anchorage in as little as 12 minutes, owing to its large propellers.

“We’re going to be providing hopefully excellent, reliable service to the Kenai aviation area,” he said. “We’re excited to be here.”

Whilden was joined by Kenai Mayor Brian Gabriel in cutting a ceremonial ribbon.

For more information, visit flyaleutian.com.

Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.

Dear Gov. Dunleavy,

As a student in the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District, and as someone who is invested in my own and my peers’ future, our education funding is falling short by exuberant amounts.

I am a senior at Soldotna High School, enrolled in dual credit college courses, and am involved in my school’s student council. Being in the student council this year, I have been involved in discussions about how we are going to adapt to these changes, and it has shown me how much of a difference this deficit is going to make. The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District has a deficit of $17 million. Our entire state needs more funding, but I want to explain to you how this will affect the students on a personal level.

I have been an advanced student almost my entire education career. I was a Quest kid. It pushed me to reach for higher achievements than my regular classroom pushed me. One of my classmates was in quest his entire elementary life. He is our senior class president, and he is committed to attend Stanford in the fall. Quest has produced some of the most academically advanced people I go to school with. After this year, Quest will be eliminated to make up for the budget deficit. I am enrolled in dual credit college classes, and I am fortunate enough that my family can pay for my Jumpstart classes. Many students in my school can’t, so they work hard to be accepted into the middle college program, which is free college classes for those who test high enough to show they will be successful in the program. It gives high school students the opportunity to potentially graduate with an associate’s degree by their high school graduation. Middle college is some students’ only opportunity to attend college classes. After this year, middle college will be eliminated to make up for the budget deficit.

These are only two examples of how people will be affected by the lack of funding being given to our education system. Elective classes such as art and drama are at risk, which encourage kids to attend school so they can participate in activities that they enjoy, and can socialize in. Our district has to shut down entire elementary schools such as Sterling Elementary School and Nikolaevsk School, both of which make public learning much more accessible to those who live in rural areas. Our district has to close pools in public schools, such as Seldovia and Ninilchick. We live in a state where almost every town or community lives by a water source, and water safety is not only a concern, but a necessity to our state, especially the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District. My school district is lucky enough that we only have a $17 million deficit. The Anchorage School District had to make up for an over $100 million deficit. No more middle school sports. No more high school hockey. No more high school gymnastics. 380 staff positions being laid off. All directly caused by lack of funding.

Our education system is failing. Education is single-handedly the biggest, most important aspect of not only our state, but our country as a whole. Without basic education, we don’t have functional members of society. We need education so our citizens can fill out a job application, understand politics and can vote, become teachers, architects, politicians, police officers, firefighters, doctors, surgeons, and literally every other occupation that general education is a necessity. Nothing happens without learning, and public education provides basic education and it teaches us how to learn and adapt in our adult lives. People who aren’t invested in education aren’t invested in the future of our state, or our country. I see great potential in my peers, but kids everywhere are struggling, and you can make a difference in your state by approving more funding for education. Thank you for your time and consideration. I hope you make the correct decisions for our community. The future of our state and greatest resource depends on it.

Brooke Walters is a senior at Soldotna High School.