Alaska Judicial Corruption Timeline - Alaska Grand Jurors Association

By Alaska Grand Jurors Association

1955: Alaskan citizens elect 55 Delegates from all over Alaska to carefully write a constitution that will protect all future Alaskans from government tyranny.

1955-1956: Constitutional Convention Delegates write Alaska’s Constitution. Other than the right to bear arms, the only take-action right the delegates give us to physically confront and stop government corruption is our citizen grand juries: Article 1, Section 8 “The power of grand juries to investigate and make recommendations concerning the public welfare or safety shall never be suspended.”

By unanimous consent, all agreed that grand juries have the power to investigate and address corruption in government, free from any interference: “The power of grand juries to inquire into the willful misconduct in office of public officers, and to find indictments in connection therewith, shall never be suspended.” Alaska Constitutional Convention, December 15, 1955.

Unanimously, they agreed that the most important duty of our grand juries is to investigate our public officials: “The grand jury is preserved, for all purposes, particularly for investigation of public officials.” Alaska Constitutional Convention Commentary on the Preamble and the Declaration of Rights, December 15, 1955.

Unanimously, they agreed that one of the most “invaluable” rights an individual Alaskan citizen has is the right to appeal to the grand jury “directly”: “The grand jury can be appealed to directly, which is an invaluable right to the citizen.” Alaska Constitutional Convention transcript page 1328.

Without a single Delegate in opposition, they discussed how it is “utterly vital” that individual court cases can be appealed to our grand juries: “I recall personally a situation eight or nine years ago that brought it to my attention forcefully how the grand jury can be utterly vital. The grand jury in its investigative power as well as for the fact that it is sitting there as a panel sometimes is the only recourse fora citizen to get justice, to get redress from abuse in lower courts…it is the only safeguard a citizen occasionally has when for any reason and very often for political reasons, a case is not dealt with properly.” Delegate Yule Kilcher of Homer at Constitutional Convention transcript page 1328.

1959: Alaska becomes a state and Alaska’s newly formed Supreme Court writes and distributes first “Alaska Grand Jury Handbook”. The handbook states: “IMPORTANCE OF THE GRAND JURY. In time of peace no citizen can perform a higher duty than that of Grand Jury service. No body of citizens exercises public functions more vital to the administration of law and order. Thus the citizens themselves, by this representative body of Grand Jurors, hold in their own hand the control of the maintenance of law and order throughout the state, through prosecution for crime. The importance of this power cannot be overestimated.” See original Handbook at alaskastateofcorruption.com.

The handbook then specifically highlights the right of citizens to appeal directly to the grand jury: “A citizen is at liberty to apply to the Grand Jury for permission to appear before it in order to suggest or urge that a certain situation should be investigated by it… Charges of crime may be brought to your attention in several ways: (4) by private citizens heard by the Grand Jury in formal session, with the Grand Jury’s consent.” Alaska Grand Jury Handbook pages 5 and 6.

This original handbook also specifically highlights how the grand jury has the “important duty of making investigations on its own initiative” to “investigate how officials are conducting their public trust.” Alaska Grand Jury Handbook pages 6 and 7.

1962: Alaska’s newly formed legislature implements statutes reinforcing grand jury rights: AS 12.40.030 “Duty of inquiry into crimes and general powers. The grand jury shall inquire into all crimes committed or triable within the jurisdiction of the court and present them to the court. The grand jury shall have the power to investigate and make recommendations concerning the public welfare or safety.” AS 12.40.040 “Juror to disclose knowledge of crime. If an individual grand juror knows or has reason to believe that a crime has been committed that is triable by the court, the juror shall disclose it to the other jurors, who shall investigate it.”

1959-1985: Grand jury investigations and recommendations are common. Topics include corruption by judges, district attorneys, and law enforcement officials.

1985:Grand jury investigates Alaska Governor Bill Sheffield for steering a $10,000,000 state lease to a campaign contributor. Grand jury recommends Alaska’s legislature impeach Governor Sheffield.

1989: As a result of the grand jury recommendation Governor Sheffield be impeached, a very divided Alaska Supreme Court issues Criminal Rule 6.1, suspending grand jury rights to investigate and make recommendations. Two of the five justices, Burke and Compton, declare Rule 6.1 is unconstitutional because it violates the plain wording of Article 1, Section 8 of Alaska’s Constitution, which states: “The power of grand juries to investigate and make recommendations concerning the public welfare or safety shall never be suspended.”

1991: In “O’Leary v. Superior Court” a bare majority of the Alaska Supreme Court upholds the constitutionality of Rule 6.1 – with two of the five justices (again Burke and Compton) again claiming it was clearly unconstitutional and in fact “mocks” Alaska’s Constitution:

“Webster’s Third New International Dictionary’s first definition of “never” is “not ever: not at anytime; at no time.” Its second is “not in any degree: not in the least: not in any way: not under any condition.” Its first definition of suspend is “to debar or cause to withdraw temporarily from any privilege, office, or function.” Indeed, the next three definitions are similar. Criminal Rule 6.1, adopted by this court pursuant to its rulemaking authority, not only suspends the power of grand juries to investigate and make recommendations concerning the public welfare or safety, but also permits censorship of a grand jury report generated as result of the exercise of that power before the report is even published.

This procedural rule is not the least bit deferential to the “anti-suspension” clause. Indeed, it mocks it.

The grand jury, and not the courts, can choose matters on which it reports and recommends, and the manner in which to do so. Criminal Rule 6.1 violates the “anti-suspension” clause of article 1, Section 8 of the Alaska constitution.”

(“O’Leary” was the case of an Anchorage teacher who was having sex with his underage students, and this was covered up by public officials. An Anchorage grand jury investigated and wrote a report with recommendations exposing everyone and everything. Alaska’s courts then used Rule 6.1 to keep the grand jury report and recommendations under wraps – effectively “suspending” them. Eventually the Anchorage Police Chief, the Anchorage Daily News, the Anchorage Times, the State of Alaska, and the grand jury itself sued – claiming Rule 6.1 was unconstitutional because it gave courts and judges the ability to suspend, suppress, and censor grand jury investigations and recommendations. In the end, the Alaska Supreme Court (again by the razor-thin majority of 3 to 2), upheld the constitutionally of Rule 6.1 and eliminated – from the grand jury investigation, report, and recommendation – many of the names of those who were involved in the cover-up, along with the evidence against them.

1991-present: Grand jury investigations and recommendations virtually stop. A couple investigations which may benefit citizens at the expense of public officials: (1) why we don’t receive a full PFD (required by law); (2) why the capitol hasn’t been moved (we successfully voted for this); (3) etc.

2004: Evidence surfaces indicating systemic judicial corruption in Alaska – evidence that judges, district attorneys, law enforcement, and private attorneys are: (1) conspiring to rig trials and other proceedings; (2) destroying evidence; (3) committing perjury; (4) falsifying physical trial evidence; (5) falsifying sworn documents to cover up; and (6) threatening physical harm to those trying to expose the forgoing.

2006: After a meeting set up and attended by Congressman Don Young’s assistant Greg Kaplan (with help from Senator Ted Stevens’ office), FBI Section Chief Colton Seale confirms judicial corruption in Alaska and claims that the FBI is being kept from prosecuting it. Seale, “We have had a number of complaints nearly identical to yours [systemic judicial corruption in Alaska]. In every case our investigation expanded rapidly and implicated nearly everyone. But in every case a call came from Washington DC telling us to pull the plug on the investigation.” When asked if this call originated from one of Alaska’s three U.S. congressional representatives, Seale said he “wouldn’t know.”

2010: Direct evidence surfaces that the Alaska Commission on Judicial Conduct (ACJC) and its sole judge investigator since 1989 (Executive Director Marla Greenstein – over 8000 judge investigations so far) is falsifying official investigations to keep corrupt judges on the bench and ruling over Alaska’s citizens. See evidence against ACJC and Greenstein at alaskastateofcorruption.com.

2011-2012: Evidence surfaces indicating the ACJC; Court System; Bar Association; Department of Law; and Ombudsman are covering up for ACJC judge investigator Greenstein.

2017: Alaskan citizens realize grand juries have the power to investigate judge investigator Greenstein and corruption which the government may not want investigated and addressed.

2017: Alaskan citizens realize the Alaska Supreme Court has rewritten the Alaska Grand Jury Handbook to eliminate all reference that citizens have a right to appeal to the grand jury directly – and to eliminate references that grand juries can decide, on their own, what to investigate.

2018: Government officials refuse to allow citizens to appeal to the grand jury directly.

2018-2019: Numerous government officials – including Governor, Attorney General, judges, and district attorneys – refuse to give a petition (signed by about 500 Alaskan citizens and calling for a grand jury investigation into evidence of corruption by judges and judge investigator Greenstein) to the grand jury.

2019-2021: Judges and district attorneys, along with Deputy Attorney General John Skidmore, outright order 6 different grand juries to stop investigating when, on their own initiative, grand juries start to investigate evidence criminally implicating judges and judge investigator Greenstein.

January 2022: Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly, by unanimous vote, passes a resolution supporting Alaska grand jury rights to investigate without interference by government officials – and supporting the right of citizens to appeal to the grand jury directly. Later the Kenai City Council, Homer City Council, Funny River Community Association Board, and other councils/boards pass similar resolutions.

March 2022: Citizens start protesting in front of Kenai Courthouse – claiming grand juries were being unconstitutionally stopped from investigating evidence of judicial corruption and that citizens were being unconstitutionally stopped from appealing such evidence directly to grand juries.

April 2022: Kenai protests strengthen, spread to Anchorage, Palmer, Fairbanks, Juneau, Homer, Haines.

June 29, 2022: Judge Jennifer Wells stops and permanently disbands another Kenai grand jury after it decides, by majority vote, to investigate evidence of systemic judicial corruption and cover up.

June 30, 2022: Protesters organize a state-wide, indoor courthouse sit-in – to be continued non-stop (even after courthouse closing time and arrests) until the Kenai grand jury is reconstituted, finishes their investigation into evidence of judicial corruption, and makes a public report/recommendation.

July 4, 2022: Felony complaints of Interference With Official Proceedings (see AS 11.56.510) and Jury Tampering (see AS 11.56.590) are filed against Judge Wells, along with Alaska Commission on Judicial Conduct complaint. Protesters also start organizing a citizen arrest (see AS 12.25.010; 12.25.030; and 12.25.070) of Judge Wells and Deputy Attorney General John Skidmore for felony jury tampering. Judge Wells announces her retirement.

July 2022: Attorney General Treg Taylor convenes a new (not the one dismissed by Judge Wells) Kenai grand jury to investigate evidence of systemic judicial corruption in Alaska.

August 2, 2022: Kenai grand jury is advised they have a right to independent counsel instead of the State of Alaska attorney advising them (Jenna Gruenstein). Kenai grand jury fires Ms. Gruenstein and is provided private attorney Clinton Campion, even though Mr. Campion formerly worked for the State of Alaska and at that time investigated criminal complaints against judge investigator Greenstein – and claimed there was no evidence she was corrupt.

November -December 2022: Kenai grand jury subpoenas judge investigator Greenstein, Judge Margaret Murphy (a judge it appears Greenstein covered up for) and others. Greenstein obtains a lawyer and claims she does not have to testify. Judge Murphy testifies. The AK Supreme Court immediately issues Supreme Court Order (SCO) 1993 to further strip the grand jury of power to investigate, make recommendations, and indict judges/Greenstein. (See SCO 1993 at alaskastateofcorruption.com)

December 15, 2022: Citizens uncover an internal Alaska Supreme Court “Memorandum” – which indicates the Supreme Court bypassed the established and required oversight of their own 13-member Rules Committee – apparently so their unconstitutional suspension of grand jury rights could not be stopped. (See “Memorandum” in “SCO 1993 History” at alaskastateofcorruption.com)

Even more disturbing, when members of the Rules Committee found out about and protested the Supreme Court’s bypassing of the Rules Committee (expressing concerns “that the rule changes were important and serious changes of a constitutional nature and should not be rushed through”) and asked there be a Rules Committee hearing, the Supreme Court still went forward with the rule change without a Rules Committee hearing. (See SCO 1993 History at alaskastateofcorruption.com)

December 2022: Citizens start signing a petition calling upon Alaska’s legislature to impeach all five justices who passed SCO 1993 – without established, required, and requested Rules Committee oversight – to unconstitutionally stop the Kenai grand jury from investigating and making recommendations/indictments concerning Alaska’s judicial corruption.

February 6, 2023: Alaska Supreme Court rescinds the part of SCO 1993 which prohibits grand juries from indicting – but leaves in the parts barring citizens from appealing directly to the grand jury and leaves in the parts giving government officials the power to dictate to the grand jury who they can subpoena, what they can investigate, and what they can say in recommendations. (See SCO 2000)

April 28, 2023: Kenai grand jury indicts Judge Margaret Murphy on felony perjury charges. (See case 3HO-23-00295CR on Alaska CourtView. TV/news stories at alaskastateofcorruption.com)

May 8, 2023: Numerous judges disqualify themselves from Judge Murphy’s prosecution and, on this day, Third District Presiding Judge Thomas Matthews assigns the case to himself. (See AK CourtView.)

October/November 2023: Judge Murphy files a motion to dismiss, supported by a certified transcript of the “Grand Jury Return on 04/28/2023”. The motion states only 12 jurors were impaneled, and that Judge Murphy’s indictment must be dismissed because there weren’t enough jurors. Yet Presiding Judge Order # 971 required 18 jurors to be impaneled. And the “Grand Jury Return” states that the grand jury wrote a report/recommendation that was given to Judge Matthews on either April 28, 2023 (Friday) or the morning of May 1, 2023 (Monday). (See filings in case 3HO-23-00295CR)

In other words, Judge Matthews was in possession of the Kenai grand jury report/recommendation involving Judge Murphy’s corruption, cover up, and conspiracy BEFORE also assigning himself to preside over the prosecution of Judge Murphy. Which means he put himself into a position to, by himself, undo and hide everything the Kenai Grand Jury had done.

April 15, 2024: Judge Matthews dismisses the Kenai Grand Jury’s indictment of Judge Murphy.

April 18, 2024: Judge Matthews’ office states the Kenai Grand Jury’s report and recommendation (already kept from the public for a year) will NEVER be made available for public inspection.

Remember that Article 1, Section 8 of Alaska’s Constitution states: “The power of grand juries to investigate and make recommendations concerning the public welfare or safety shall never be suspended.”

Remember what Alaska Supreme Court Justices Burke and Compton said this means:

This procedural rule is not the least bit deferential to the “anti-suspension” clause. Indeed, it mocks it.
The grand jury, and not the courts, can choose matters on which it reports and recommends, and the manner in which to do so. Criminal Rule 6.1 violates the “anti-suspension” clause of article 1, Section 8 of the Alaska constitution.”

Even more disturbing is that Criminal Rule 6.1 states that within “a reasonable period of time…the [grand jury’s] report and any appendices will be filed with the court and made available for public inspection.”

So how can Alaska’s judicial system NEVER

SUMMATION!

Are we going to let Alaska’s judicial system take away our right to appeal to the grand jury directly, when Alaska’s 55 Founding Fathers outright called this “an invaluable right to the citizen”?

Are we going to let the Alaska Supreme Court take away our right to appeal individual court cases to the grand jury, when Alaska’s Founding Fathers specifically stated this was our right?

Are we going to let the Alaska Supreme Court suspend our grand jury’s right to investigate and inform citizens with recommendations – by letting courts and government attorneys dictate who grand juries can subpoena, what and what grand juries can investigate, and what grand juries can say in a report and recommendation – when these rights were very carefully given to citizen grand juries by Alaska’s Founding Fathers nearly 70 years ago?

Most importantly, are we going to let Alaska’s judicial system stop us from seeing an official grand jury report and recommendation that would expose and stop corruption in Alaska’s judicial system?

We believe Alaska’s Founding Fathers would ask (maybe demand?) that we stand tall and shout NO!

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

1. Keep informed of new developments by joining Alaska Grand Jurors Association – it’s free! Just send us your name, email address, and text number. If you are a current or upcoming Grand Juror, contact us for the evidence and information to effectively investigate the above.

2. Ask legislators and Governor to start a public investigation into this situation.

3. Educate yourself and talk to your neighbors, family, and friends.

4. Invite us to make a presentation/answer questions to a group of citizens in your area.

5. If necessary, participate in a peaceful state-wide courthouse sit-in, until the public can see the uncensored, unredacted grand jury report and recommendation.

6. Join our Zoom Meeting every Saturday night at 8 pm. Meeting ID: 907-398-6403 Passcode: 1234
(if no Zoom app call 669-900-6833 and then enter the Zoom ID and Passcode)

How did all this get so bad and go on unaddressed for so long? We think the corruption uncovered in New York City gives us a clue:

New York City’s 1994 Mollen Commission Report

”To cover up their corruption, officers created even more: they falsified official reports and perjured themselves to conceal their misdeeds. In the face of this problem, the Department allowed its systems for fighting corruption virtually to collapse. It had become more concerned about the bad publicity that corruption disclosures generate than the devastating consequences of corruption itself. As a result, its corruption controls minimized, ignored and at times concealed corruption rather than rooting it out. Such an institutional reluctance to uncover corruption is not surprising. No institution wants its reputation tainted – especially a Department that needs the public’s confidence and partnership to be effective. Since no entity outside the Department was responsible for reviewing the Department’s success in policing itself, years of self-protection continued unabated until this Commission commenced its independent inquiries.”

Alaska Grand Jurors Association
PO Box 123
Soldotna, Alaska 99669
(907) 398-6403 cell/text
haeg@alaska.net
alaskagrandjurorsassociation.org and alaskastateofcorruption.com