Alaska Politics Blog : Legislature's lawyer doesn't think Campbell can be Lt. Gov on July 26 (Updated with Ramras calling a confirmation hearing)

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Erika Bolstad covers Alaska issues, including the congressional delegation, from Washington, D.C., for McClatchy Newspapers. Before joining the bureau in 2007, she spent seven years as a reporter at the Miami Herald, where she covered politics, government and the state legislature. E-mail Erika at ebolstad@adn.com.

Sean Cockerham

Sean Cockerham writes about Alaska state politics. He's worked for the ADN in Anchorage and Juneau, covered the legislature for the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, and covered Washington state politics for the Tacoma News Tribune. E-mail Sean at scockerham@adn.com

Kyle Hopkins

Kyle Hopkins covers rural affairs, general assignments and politics for the ADN. He covered the 2006 campaign for governor, has blogged extensively about Alaska politics, covered Anchorage city government and was a reporter based in the Mat-Su. He grew up in Southeast Alaska and previously wrote for the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner and Anchorage Press. E-mail Kyle at khopkins@adn.com and also find him on our rural Alaska blog, The Village.

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Legislature's lawyer doesn't think Campbell can be Lt. Gov on July 26 (Updated with Ramras calling a confirmation hearing)

Posted by Alaska_Politics

Posted: July 8, 2009 - 12:18 pm

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From Sean Cockerham in Anchorage -

The Legislature's top lawyer, Tam Cook, has come out with an opinion that Craig Campbell can't become the lieutenant governor on July 26.

But she conceded that it's muddy and there are unresolved legal questions.

July 26th is the day Palin is to resign as governor and hand power over Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell. Palin picked Campbell, who is the head of the state department of military and veterans affairs, to replace Parnell as the lieutenant governor.

But the state Legislature already confirmed a line of succession under which corrections commissioner Joe Schmidt should be taking over as lieutenant governor.

Palin herself proposed that line of succession, but I gather that Schmidt is happy to give up the job to Campbell and stay as corrections chief.

Cook's opinion says that Campbell can't take over as lieutenant governor until the Legislature confirms him. The Legislature isn't in session until January. I doubt legislators would be excited about coming into a special session in the summertime to confirm him, but that could be where this is headed.

Cook concedes that "alas, the situation is somewhat muddied," by conflicting articles in the state Constitution. The attorney general's office is also doing its own legal review.

(UPDATE -- The state House Judiciary Committee just scheduled a July 20 confirmation hearing for Campbell. It's still an open question, though, whether the full Legislature would agree to call itself into special session to confirm him.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jay Ramras -- no fan of Palin's -- got in a dig at her in his announcement of the hearing. “The governor quit and went fishing,” the Fairbanks Republican said. “Governor Palin failed to leave specific instructions, so the Legislature is stepping in to bring order to the constitutional chaos she created.”)

Read Cook's opinion by clicking here.