Alaska Supreme Court Upholds State's Official English Law

4-1 decision maintains majority of 1998 voter approved legislation

The Alaska Supreme Court upheld the state's official English law today by a 4-1 margin, rejecting claims that the 1998 voter approved measure violated the state Constitution. Opponent's requests to strike down the entire law were decisively rejected, preserving the designation of English as the official language of the state. The court also preserved the requirement that English be the official language of government documents.

"I am pleased to see that after examining all the facts, the Alaska Supreme Court has recognized the validity of the state's official English law," said Mauro E. Mujica, Chairman of the Board of U.S. English. "By upholding the law, the Alaska Supreme Court becomes the latest judicial body to recognize that there is no affirmative right to multilingual services. This decision serves as a welcome antidote to claims that official English laws are unconstitutional."

In 1998, Alaska voters approved the law in question via a ballot initiative with 69 percent of the voters in support. The enacted measure declared English as the official language of the state, requiring the use of English on all government documents and records. Like other official English laws, the measure contained specific exemptions for emergency services, tourism, the preservation of indigenous languages, and other common sense areas.

To date, 30 states have made English their official language, including three states since November 2006. With the decision in the Alaska case, none of these enacted laws are currently facing court scrutiny. On the federal level, bills are currently pending in the U.S. House and Senate.

"I look forward to working with Alaska lawmakers and executive agencies to ensure that the Alaska law meets the desires of the people who overwhelmingly supported it," continued Mujica. "Furthermore, we will continue to work with interested lawmakers at the state and federal level who aim to unite our diverse society through our common language of English."