JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) - A judge on Friday ordered the state to pay about $190,000 in attorney fees and costs after losing a case to the group seeking to recall Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy.
Department of Law spokesperson Maria Bahr said the department was reviewing Superior Court Judge Herman Walker Jr.’s decision. The order can be appealed.
The Recall Dunleavy campaign sued last year after Alaska’s then-attorney general, Kevin Clarkson, found the statement of grounds for recall to be “factually and legally deficient” and an election official denied the recall application based on Clarkson’s review.
A judge ruled all but one allegation against Dunleavy could proceed, a decision later affirmed by the Alaska Supreme Court. The Supreme Court had allowed the campaign to proceed with a second signature-gathering phase while it heard the case.
The campaign must gather 71,252 signatures in a bid to force a recall election. That process is ongoing.
The recall effort was fueled by public anger over budget cuts Dunleavy proposed, a number of which he later agreed to reverse or moderate.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.