Gov says he doesn’t have a choice on supporting constitution

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) - Gov. Bill Walker says he doesn’t have a choice on whether to support Alaska’s Constitution.

Walker recently said he would have declined joining a brief filed with the U.S. Supreme Court in support of states that have defined marriage as between a man and a woman if it was only up to him. But he said he respected the role of Attorney General Craig Richards on constitutional issues. Richards signed onto the brief.

In an interview, Walker said he doesn’t know that having the state’s name on someone else’s brief adds much to the argument.

Alaska’s Constitution bans same-sex marriage. But a federal judge last year struck down the ban as unconstitutional. The U.S. Supreme Court is ultimately expected to decide the issue.