Alaska Supreme Court to hear arguments in residency case

JUNEAU, Alaska — The Republican who lost an Anchorage House race last fall has appealed a judge’s ruling that found that Democrat Jennifer “Jennie” Armstrong met residency requirements to take office and accepted Armstrong as the winner. Under the state constitution, to serve in the legislature one must be a “qualified voter who has been a resident of Alaska for at least three years and of the district from which elected for at least one year, immediately preceding his filing for office.” The filing deadline was June 1. He said the result of the November election was accepted and that Armstrong “remains the certified winner.” But attorneys for Vazquez and the other plaintiffs in court documents cited what they called errors in Walker’s decision, including an “inconsistent” interpretation of state law and constitutional provisions. Attorneys Stacey Stone, Richard Moses and Anna Cometa also said the decision was “supported by insufficient evidence.” An attorney for Armstrong, Scott Kendall, on Monday called the case “nothing more than a half-baked political stunt, and any appeal of Judge Walker’s decision would be no better.”