Watson v. State

OPINION

Judge SUDDOCK.

Elizabeth Watson was charged with driving under the influence (DUI) when she was fourteen years old. 1 Pursuant to AS 47.12.030(b), she was tried as an adult and convicted in the district court. In this appeal, Watson argues that the legislature’s decision to uniformly prosecute minors as adults when they commit misdemeanor traffic offenses violates a minor’s right to equal protection and to due process of law.

Because a minor has a limited interest in being prosecuted in the juvenile court system, and because driving is a heavily regulated dangerous adult activity, we…