Post by Logan on Jun 8, 2016 1:26:35 GMT -6
Lawyers spar over whether Alaska House can appeal in Medicaid expansion lawsuit
Lawyers hired by Alaska lawmakers to sue Gov. Bill Walker over Medicaid expansion said in a court filing last week that the Alaska House can properly take over the appeal of a case originally brought by the Alaska Legislative Council even though no legislative body has voted to approve the move.
But one of the Senate leaders, John Coghill, R-North Pole, who supported the original lawsuit, said Wednesday that he didn't think the House could insert itself into the already-existing contracts between the two hired law firms and the 14-member Alaska Legislative Council, a committee of House and Senate lawmakers that meets year-round and that voted to sue Walker.
The Senate has refused to move forward with an appeal in the Medicaid expansion case, and the Alaska Legislative Council never voted on whether to appeal after it lost the case in Superior Court. The House has attempted to file the appeal on its own, which has led to sparring between attorneys and lawmakers.
"They think they can substitute themselves into the contract, I think they're wrong," Coghill said of the House. "They are proceeding with an appeal of their own and it doesn't fly under this contract."
Read more: www.adn.com/politics/2016/06/05/lawyers-spar-over-whether-alaska-house-can-appeal-in-medicaid-expansion-lawsuit/
Lawyers hired by Alaska lawmakers to sue Gov. Bill Walker over Medicaid expansion said in a court filing last week that the Alaska House can properly take over the appeal of a case originally brought by the Alaska Legislative Council even though no legislative body has voted to approve the move.
But one of the Senate leaders, John Coghill, R-North Pole, who supported the original lawsuit, said Wednesday that he didn't think the House could insert itself into the already-existing contracts between the two hired law firms and the 14-member Alaska Legislative Council, a committee of House and Senate lawmakers that meets year-round and that voted to sue Walker.
The Senate has refused to move forward with an appeal in the Medicaid expansion case, and the Alaska Legislative Council never voted on whether to appeal after it lost the case in Superior Court. The House has attempted to file the appeal on its own, which has led to sparring between attorneys and lawmakers.
"They think they can substitute themselves into the contract, I think they're wrong," Coghill said of the House. "They are proceeding with an appeal of their own and it doesn't fly under this contract."
Read more: www.adn.com/politics/2016/06/05/lawyers-spar-over-whether-alaska-house-can-appeal-in-medicaid-expansion-lawsuit/