Warren Matthews

Warren Wayne Matthews Jr. (born April 5, 1939) is an American lawyer and jurist who was a justice of the Alaska Supreme Court from 1977 to 2009. He served as the 8th and 12th chief justice of the Alaska Supreme Court. He is the second-longest serving justice in Alaskan history (from May 1977 to April 2009), slightly less than that of Jay Rabinowitz.

Born in Santa Cruz, California, Matthews graduated from San Benito High School in Hollister, California in 1957. He says that he was inspired to become an attorney when a lawyer paid a visit to his classroom.

In 2007, Matthews dissented in the 3–2 Supreme Court decision of Alaska v. Planned Parenthood in which the Court struck down Alaska's law requiring parental consent for minors to obtain abortions. He supported the law, arguing: "Without a parent's consent, [minors] may not become licensed drivers or get married or obtain general medical or dental treatment." Later in 2007, he wrote the dissenting opinion in the 3–2 Supreme Court decision Godfrey, d/b/a Mendenhall Valley Tesoro v. State of Alaska, Community and Economic Development, in which the court supported Alaska's law holding retailers legally liable if their employees sold tobacco to minors, even unknowingly. Matthews opposed the law, saying that the law was too broad in not allowing a retailer to argue that a clerk was not negligent.

Legacy

Several of his former law clerks became prominent statewide in Alaskan politics: Supreme Court Justice Craig F. Stowers, Attorney General Daniel S. Sullivan (Sullivan later became a U.S. senator from Alaska), and state representative Lindsey Holmes.

Since retiring from the Supreme Court in 2009, Matthews has served as a pro tem judge.

Personal life

Warren Matthews and Donna, his wife married in 1963. They have two daughters: Holly (born ca. 1974), a psychiatric social worker; and Meredith (born ca. 1978), an attorney in private practice.