Alaska Public Records

Alaska Public Records Act (APRA)

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The Alaska Public Records Act is defined in Statutes 40.25.100 - 40.25.125, which are designed to guarantee access to records of government bodies at all levels (unless they fall under the exemptions below) as a fundamental right of the public. There are no residency restrictions on Alaskan public records, anyone may request them without justification or explanation. If the records are to be used in litigation the request should be made in accordance with applicable court rules or it may be deemed invalid ("litigation disclosure" statute in the APRA). There are also no definitions of time limits as in other states within which records requests must be answered.

Exceptions to public records access include those that are sealed for any reason, such as records of vital statistics and adoption proceedings, most records pertaining to juveniles, medical and related public health records, and more. See Sec. 40.25.120. of
Sec. 40.25.100. - Sec. 40.25.220. of the APRA

Alaska's History

Alaska was purchased by the US from Russia in 1867 and became the 49th state in 1959. Situated in the extreme north west corner of Canada, Alaska is disconnected from the "lower 48" by about 500 miles of British Columbia.

Early suppositions by anthropologists/ archeologists theorize that Paleo-man's earliest migrations into North America occurred by crossing over the then frozen land bridge between Asia and Alaska which is now the Bering Strait, making Alaska the northern gateway to modern Native America. Over the centuries that followed, these bands of nomads continued their south and eastward expansion, branching off into the various tribes of native peoples that were encountered when the Europeans began to explore and settle the continent. Of course, there is some dispute over the validity of this given the evidence, but it is generally accepted as truth by the general population. More

Alaska was first touched by European explorers in the middle 1700's, with Vitus Bering on behalf of Russia. His exploits proved Alaska to be a fur rich land, which inspired a booming fur trade. Nearly 100 years later, gold was found which sparked a booming gold rush and an influx of miners and prospectors to both Alaska and the Yukon Territory.

Today, the economy of Alaska is largely based in gas and oil- with 80% of the states revenue generated by oil extraction. The GSP of Alaska has it ranked at #7 in the nation. The other major product of Alaska is seafood (crab, cod, salmon, etc) but this accounts for only a fraction of the state's income and most agricultural products remain in state.

Alaska is the largest US state by area, but is also the least densely populated with just over half a million total as of 2007, and is considered to be one of the last truly wild places in the US.

Fast Facts:

Capital City:
Biggest City:
Population:
State Bird:
State Flower:
State Tree:
Nickname:

Juneau
Anchorage
686,293 (2008)
Willow Ptarmigan
Sitka Spruce
Forget Me Not
Last Frontier

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Alaska's Court System

There are four levels of courts in the Alaska Court System. All courts in Alaska are state-funded and municipal, or city governments do not maintain separate court systems as some other states do. Jurisdiction and responsibilities of each level of court are set out in Title 22 of the Alaska Statutes.

The four levels of courts in the Alaska Court System are:

District courts, (trial courts)
Superior courts, (trial courts)
Court of Appeals, (appellate courts)
the Supreme court, (appellate court)

The highest level of state court in Alaska is the Supreme court. It hears appeals from lower state courts and also administers the state's judicial system. The chief justice of the Alaska Supreme Court is the administrative head of the Alaska Court System and supervises the administration of all courts in the state.