Groups File Motion for Summary Judgement in Alaska SNAP Lawsuit 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 17, 2025 
Contact: 

• Patrick Fowler | fowler@nclej.org  

ALASKA — The National Center for Law and Economic Justice (NCLEJ) and Northern Justice Project filed a motion for summary judgment in their federal lawsuit to ensure access to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for Alaskans.   

This motion for summary judgment asks the Court to rule that Alaska’s operation of SNAP violates the rights of low-income Alaskans under the SNAP Act, the Due Process Clause of the US Constitution and the Alaska Constitution.  If the motion is granted, a decision will be made regarding the lawsuit on the basis of existing law and factual record without going to trial. 

Read the motion for summary judgement and supporting memo.  

NCLEJ and Northern Justice Projected first filed the class action lawsuit in January 2023 against the Alaska Department of Health (DOH). Following this action, Alaska became the first state to receive a sharp warning from the federal government over their processing delays, reflecting the seriousness of their failure to administer SNAP. In May 2023, parties agreed to put litigation on hold temporarily in exchange for the DOH agreeing to halve its SNAP backlog within 6 months. The State cleared its backlog by the end of September 2023, issuing approximately $6.6 million in SNAP benefits because of NCLEJ and Northern Justice Project intervention. Unfortunately, the State developed another backlog of more recently filed cases, demonstrating a continued need for court intervention. On December 31, 2024, the Court ordered preliminary injunctive relief against the State, directing the DOH to promptly process SNAP applications and recertifications within legal timeframes, provide written notice and opportunity for fair hearings, and provide monthly status reports to the Court.  

Alaska’s SNAP processing delays remain ongoing. Since December 2024, the DOH’s timely processing rate for initial applications, including expedited applications, has not exceeded 64% – far short of the 95% rate considered acceptable by the federal government for states to be in compliance with legally mandated processing timeframes. The timely processing rate for recertifications has likewise not risen beyond 29%. Alaskans wait on average more than three months to get their benefits, far more than the 30 days as required by federal law.  

“We believe that we will prevail in our motion for summary judgment,” said Saima Akhtar, Senior Attorney at the National Center for Law and Economic Justice. “Thousands of Alaskan families who rely on SNAP have continued to suffer from delays to their benefits for years. This situation is unacceptable, and we trust the court to reach a suitable decision based on the merits of our case.”  

“I remain in awe of the courage and grit shown by my hungry neighbors, who are doing their very best to scrape by while we all wait for the State to stop breaking the law,” said Nick Feronti, Attorney with the Northern Justice Project. “We at NJP stand in solidarity with those neighbors. And we believe in a future — hopefully, a future that we will realize very soon — where no child in Alaska ever goes to sleep with an empty stomach. We are capable of that as a state, and the law demands as much.” 

The National Center for Law and Economic Justice (NCLEJ) advances racial and economic justice for low-income families, individuals, and communities across the country through ground-breaking impact litigation, policy advocacy, and support for grassroots organizing. Founded in 1965, NCLEJ protects access to critical benefits such as food stamps, Medicaid, and childcare; empowers low-wage workers, advocates for people with disabilities; and fights unlawful debt collection.  

The Northern Justice Project represents Alaskans in complex lawsuits against the State and Federal Governments, and large corporations. They have a proven track record of significant victories for their clients. From Medicaid, to Native American rights, to Special Education access, to tenants’ rights and more, they have successfully won many cases that have made an incredible difference for people living in their communities.   

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