Jim Clark (Alaska)
Encyclopedia
Jim Clark served as Chief of Staff to the Governor of Alaska during the administration of former Alaska
Governor Frank Murkowski
.
Jim Clark received his BA in History, Literature and Philosophy from Johns Hopkins University in 1965, his Juris Doctor from Cornell Law School in 1968 and his LLM in Environmental Law from George Washington University in 1973.
had paid $10,000 for a political poll to gauge the popularity of then-incumbent Governor Murkowski, and was charged with honest services fraud
. However, this charge was flawed. The statute was so vague it gave prosecutors "almost carte blanche power to use it in both political and private settings to sweep within the net of criminal liability conduct which, while arguably improper, should not be criminalized." Thus, before he was sentenced, the US Supreme Court ruled that the statute was drafted with unconstitutional vagueness and henceforth will only cover "fraudulent schemes to deprive another of honest services through bribes or kickbacks supplied by a third party who ha[s] not been deceived." Clark was guilty of neither bribes or kickbacks, and all charges were voided.
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
Governor Frank Murkowski
Frank Murkowski
Francis Hughes Murkowski is an American politician and a member of the Republican Party. He was a United States Senator from Alaska from 1981 until 2002 and the eighth Governor of Alaska from 2002 until 2006.- Early life and career :...
.
Early life
Jim Clark was born in New York in 1943 to Air Force Col. James and Marie Clark. As a child he lived in Anchorage, Alaska - but his family was evacuated during the Korean War. He also lived in Japan and Hawaii during his childhood.Jim Clark received his BA in History, Literature and Philosophy from Johns Hopkins University in 1965, his Juris Doctor from Cornell Law School in 1968 and his LLM in Environmental Law from George Washington University in 1973.
JAG Corp
Between 1969 and 1973 he served in the JAG Corp of the US Army where he litigated criminal matters in special and general courts martial. He served as Chief of Military Justice in Danang, Vietnam 1971 to 1972. He also served as a staff lawyer on the Peers’ Commission, which investigated the My Lai case.Legal work
From 1973 to 2002 he worked as an attorney at Robertson, Monagle & Eastaugh Law Firm, a firm he eventually led. For his tireless efforts to keep the capitol in Juneau, the Juneau Chamber of Commerce named him person of the year in the early 1980s. He represented the timber industry in Southeast Alaska, and has also been an advocate for public radio and the arts.Chief of Staff
In 2001 he was named the head of Governor Frank Murkowski's transition team, and in 2002, he was appointed Chief-of-Staff by Governor Frank Murkowski. Although reluctant to leave the practice of law, which he loved, he said, “I am a strong believer in public service, and it is my turn to serve my State of Alaska, which has given so much back to me and my family.” As Chief-of-Staff he directed the preparation of the State budget; oversaw the preparation of legislation; negotiated the budget and legislation with the Legislature; worked with the Governor and departmental commissioners to formulate policy. He also managed Governor’s cabinet and served as the State’s chief gas pipeline negotiator and successfully negotiated a draft contract between the Governor and the North Slope producers to construct a gas pipeline. During this time he was often referred to as "the most powerful unelected official in Alaska," although he always rejected this as he said his job was simply to carry out the will of the Governor Murkowski, and noted that he was not acting on his own agenda.Polar Pen charges dropped
In 2008, Clark admitted that he was aware that Veco CorpVeco Corp
VECO Corporation was an Alaska-based oil pipeline service and construction company until its purchase in September 2007 by CH2M HILL. As of that date, the VECO Corporation ceased to exist. Founded in 1968, the company grew to become a major player in the Alaskan oil industries' support...
had paid $10,000 for a political poll to gauge the popularity of then-incumbent Governor Murkowski, and was charged with honest services fraud
Honest services fraud
Honest services fraud refers to a 28-word sentence of , added by the United States Congress in 1988, which states: "For the purposes of this chapter, the term, scheme or artifice to defraud includes a scheme or artifice to deprive another of the intangible right of honest services."The statute...
. However, this charge was flawed. The statute was so vague it gave prosecutors "almost carte blanche power to use it in both political and private settings to sweep within the net of criminal liability conduct which, while arguably improper, should not be criminalized." Thus, before he was sentenced, the US Supreme Court ruled that the statute was drafted with unconstitutional vagueness and henceforth will only cover "fraudulent schemes to deprive another of honest services through bribes or kickbacks supplied by a third party who ha[s] not been deceived." Clark was guilty of neither bribes or kickbacks, and all charges were voided.