ACLU’s Mara Kimmel to retire in August

By SUZANNE DOWNING

May 4, 2026 – Mara Kimmel, one of Alaska’s most visible Democrat legal advocates, has announced she will step down as executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Alaska after leading the organization since May 2022.

Kimmel will remain in the role while the board conducts a nationwide search for her successor.

In a prepared statement, Kimmel framed her tenure as a period of “meaningful progress” on civil rights, citing work on voting access, abortion policy, LGBTQ+ issues, homelessness, and prison conditions. The organization echoed that assessment, crediting her with expanding programs and elevating the ACLU’s profile in Alaska’s legal and political landscape.

But her time at the helm was also defined by a steady stream of lawsuits and high-profile interventions that placed the ACLU in direct opposition to the Dunleavy Administration, local governments, and, at times, the policy preferences of many Alaskans.

Under Kimmel’s leadership, the ACLU of Alaska leaned heavily into courtroom battles as a primary tool for policy change.

Among the most consequential was a 2022 lawsuit against the Alaska Division of Elections, filed with partners that included the Native American Rights Fund, over the lack of ballot-curing procedures.

The group argued that more than 5,000 ballots had been improperly rejected, characterizing the issue as voter suppression. The case as part of a broader push to loosen election safeguards and extend timelines in ways that could complicate election administration. Those ACLU preferences are now being addressed by the controversial Senate Bill 64, which has liberal curing provisions.

That pattern continued in 2026, when the ACLU joined another lawsuit challenging the state’s handling of voter data, alleging privacy violations after an agreement to share information with the federal government.

ACLU sues Division of Elections for sharing voter information with Department of Justice

Kimmel’s tenure also coincided with major legal fights over abortion policy. The ACLU helped secure rulings striking down Alaska’s physician-only requirement for abortion procedures, expanding access to include advanced practice clinicians.

Pro-life groups and others argued it lowered medical standards.

On education and gender identity issues, the ACLU, under Kimmel, challenged policies in the Mat-Su Borough School District restricting bathroom use based on biological sex. That case has become a flashpoint in the broader debate over parental rights and school authority.

The organization also entered the contentious arena of school library content, suing over the removal of dozens of books in Mat-Su schools. The ACLU characterized the removals as unconstitutional censorship, while supporters of the district’s actions argued they reflected community standards and age-appropriate concerns.

Perhaps nowhere was the divide more visible than in Anchorage, where the ACLU repeatedly sued the municipality over its handling of homeless encampments.

Cases such as Josett Banks v. Municipality of Anchorage and Aguila v. Municipality of Anchorage challenged anti-camping ordinances and enforcement actions. Kimmel described the city’s policies as “inhumane” and unconstitutional. City officials and many residents, however, viewed enforcement as necessary to address public safety, sanitation, and the impact of encampments on neighborhoods and parks.

Those lawsuits resulted in temporary pauses and policy adjustments, but also intensified an already polarized debate over how to manage homelessness in Alaska’s largest city.

Another major front was the Alaska Department of Corrections, where the ACLU filed a sweeping class-action lawsuit in 2025 alleging decades of inadequate medical care for inmates. The group also pressed the state to limit its role in holding federal immigration detainees, citing concerns about conditions and access to legal services.

State officials have disputed aspects of those claims.

As the public face of the ACLU in Alaska, and as the spouse of former Anchorage mayor Ethan Berkowitz, Kimmel occupied a prominent place in the state’s political ecosystem.

Under her leadership, the ACLU blurred the line between civil liberties advocacy and partisan alignment, particularly on election policy, education issues, and social debates. Supporters counter that the organization was fulfilling its mission to defend constitutional rights, especially for marginalized groups.

The ACLU of Alaska board, led by President Rich Curtner, praised Kimmel’s tenure as strengthening the organization’s influence and capacity. The group will work with an Alaska-based search firm to identify her replacement, with the process expected to begin this summer.