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The U.S. Supreme Court has once again declined to take up challenges to a federal law that protects subsistence hunting and fishing in Alaska.
The court rejected the state of Alaska’s petition to review a federal lawsuit against the state over salmon management on the Kuskokwim River in Southwest Alaska.
KNBA’s Rhonda McBride has reaction from Native leaders.
The state had argued the federal government was misinterpreting a law Congress passed to protect a rural priority for subsistence.
Last year, after the 9th Circuit Court of appeals sided with federal fishery managers, the state asked the court to take up the case, but in a docket on Monday, the court denied the state’s petition.
The Alaska Federation of Natives hailed the decision. Its president, Ben Mallott, says decades of hard-won protections under the landmark Katie John lawsuits were also on the line.
“I feel relieved that we don’t have to spend our limited resources and efforts, fighting for what we know is right, hopefully our final time protecting what Katie John fought for.”
John was an Ahtna Athabascan elder who fought for the right to fish on rivers that flow through federal lands.
This is the third time the court has decided to let the Katie John litigation stand untouched.
The federal government’s Kuskokwim lawsuit, which the court has left intact, now affirms similar protections.
Michelle Anderson knew the late Katie John when she was little girl. Today, she is president of the Ahtna Native Coporation.
She says the Athabascan elder taught her people well to stand up for what’s right.
“During our history here is that you can’t sit back and rest on your laurels and you must always be vigilant and looking out for what’s coming next. No. I don’t think anyone is jubilant and celebrating and thinking this is it. We’re just waiting for the next time.”
Alaska Fish and Game Commissioner Doug Vincent-Lang said in a statement that the state will respect the decision of the court to not address the legal issues regarding fish and game management authorities over navigable waters belonging to the state of Alaska, but the commissioner also said the state will continue to work with the Secretaries of Interior and Agriculture to ensure state rights are safeguarded.
Mary Peltola, left, applaudes during a speech by former First Lady Jill Biden in Bethel, Alaska.
Democrat Mary Peltola (Yup’ik), the first Alaska Native person elected to Congress, announced Monday that she’s running for U.S. Senate, taking on incumbent U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK).
Alaska Public Media Washington correspondent Liz Ruskin reports interest in whether Peltola would run has been high for months.
Her announcement Monday came with a video portraying her salmon-centered family life on the Kuskokwim River.
She repeats her previous campaign slogan: “Fish, family, freedom.” She also hearkens back to Alaska senators who served in less partisan times.
“(Former U.S. Sen.) Ted Stevens (R-AK) often said, ‘To hell with politics. Put Alaska first.’ It’s about time Alaskans teach the rest of the country what Alaska first and, really, America first looks like.”
Nationally, Democrats believe that with Peltola on the ballot, Alaska presents one of their best hopes of flipping a seat.
Political analyst and statistician Nate Silver said in a social media post last week that Democrats still have an uphill battle to win back the Senate majority, but that Peltola’s candidacy moves their chances in Alaska from a long-shot to plausible.
Sen. Sullivan has already raised $6 million this election cycle. He has President Donald Trump’s endorsement and maintains a strong alignment with Trump.
But, in what Democrats took to be a sign that he’s feeling the political heat, Sullivan last month unexpectedly voted to extend health insurance subsidies. He’s also touting a new bill that targets one of Peltola’s primary issues: Bycatch, or the accidental catch of salmon by the pollock fleet.
Within minutes of Peltola’s announcement, the National Republican Senatorial Committee and other groups supporting Sullivan issued a string of press releases, previewing the campaign issues they plan to use against Peltola.
They link her to President Joe Biden and national figures on the left, as well as transgender rights and policies that restrict drilling on federal land in Alaska.
Some Republican messages jabbed at her effectiveness in Congress, and at her high rate of missed House votes.
Peltola tried to head off that last point.
“D.C. people were shocked that I prioritized going back to Alaska in July to help put up fish for our family, but Alaskans understand.”
For U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Peltola’s candidacy presents a dilemma. They’re both moderates, and Murkowski endorsed Peltola in the past, despite their party differences.
Sen. Murkowski declined to pick a side when a reporter asked before Christmas, but Thursday, she said she’d made a decision: she is endorsing her Republican colleague.
“We’ve had a pretty solid team here in the Senate for the past 12 years, so we want to figure out how we’re going to keep in the majority. And Dan delivers that.”
Both sides are expected to pour tens of millions of dollars into the race.
Sullivan’s last race in 2020 was one of the most expensive elections in state history, with spending by the campaigns and outside groups totaling more than $57 million.
Sullivan was outspent, but beat independent candidate Al Gross by a substantial margin.
Peltola lost her House seat to U.S. Rep. Nick Begich (R-AK).
After ranked ballots were tallied in 2024, she had almost 49% of the vote to his 51%. The rankings had little impact on the final result in that race. Before voters’ second- and third- choices were counted, Begich’s lead was slightly smaller.
Sullivan and Peltola will face off first in a nonpartisan primary in August. The top four candidates will advance to a ranked-choice ballot in November.
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