Warren Wayne Matthews Jr.[1] (born April 5, 1939) is an American lawyer and jurist who was a justice of the Alaska Supreme Court from 1977 to 2009.
[2] Matthews wrote the 4–1 majority opinion in the 1981 Supreme Court case of Nix v. Alaska, in which he ruled that an undercover police officer gaining access to a residence was not a violation of the Fourth Amendment prohibition against unreasonable searches and seizures, stating, "the use of undercover police agents 'is a highly necessary tool in fighting crime.
'"[4][5] 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 while Matthews 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.
"[6][7] Later that year, Matthews 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 (even unknowingly) sold tobacco to minors.
[8][9] Several of his former law clerks eventually went on to prominence in Alaskan politics: Supreme Court Justice Craig F. Stowers,[10] Attorney General Daniel S. Sullivan,[11] and State Representative Lindsey Holmes.