Opinion ID: 1239200
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 10

Heading: report of the masters of the supreme court of the state of alaska

Text: In order to assist in fashioning an interim reapportionment plan, the Supreme Court of the State of Alaska on May 26, 1972 appointed George W. Rogers, of Juneau, Alaska, and William H. Scott, of Anchorage, Alaska, as special Masters to the Court. Instructions were issued by the Court to both Masters establishing standards and providing guidelines to be followed in the discharge of their assignment. The Masters had the legal and editorial assistance of R.E. Hicks, a law clerk of the Supreme Court, the statistical and cartographic services of Richard Listowski, a research analyst, and the clerical and stenographic services of Mary Eldemar. Work was commenced immediately upon appointment of the Masters. The proposed interim plan submitted with this report is in accord with the Court's specific standards for a reapportionment plan. Arithmetical deviations from the population ideal or norm were reduced to the minimum feasible given the unique characteristics of Alaska's geography, population distribution and socio-economic development. At the same time, the Masters believe that the plan contains no discrimination, by design or oversight, against any political party, geographic region, urban or rural interests or racial or ethnic group. In addition to presenting the outline of the proposed plan for reapportionment of the House and Senate and an evaluation of its features as compared with the other alternative plans before the Court, the Masters recognized an obligation to set forth for the benefit of the Court and the public the considerations which guided their decisions. These are presented in detail with supporting statistical evidence, analysis and reference bibliography. This portion of the report has been organized into two main parts presenting considerations and data which went into the establishment of (1) the population base and (2) the districts.