ANCHORAGE, Alaska (CNN) -- An Alaska judge refused Thursday to throw out subpoenas for members of Gov. Sarah Palin’s administration in the State Legislature’s investigation of her firing of her public safety commissioner.
Anchorage Superior Court Judge Peter Michalski rejected a request by Palin’s Republican allies to shut down the investigation and ruled that the subpoenas were issued properly by the state Senate Judiciary Committee.
Kevin Clarkson, a lawyer for five GOP lawmakers who filed suit in September, said the date was arbitrarily chosen by the lawmakers overseeing the investigation.
"There’s no magic to this October 10 date," Clarkson said. The bipartisan committee that authorized the investigation stated only that it be conducted "in a timely manner," he said.
Peter Maassen, the attorney for the lawmakers leading the inquiry, called the suit "a complete perversion of the process" and said the Legislature had the authority to conduct its investigation.
The former Anchorage prosecutor hired to conduct the investigation, Stephen Branchflower, is slated to complete his report by October 10. In an affidavit filed ahead of Thursday’s hearing, he said he has begun to draft his report despite the refusal of several Palin aides and her husband, Todd, to comply with subpoenas issued by the state Senate Judiciary Committee. Read more...
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