Alaska Attorney General Burns Resigns, Governor Parnell Says

Alaska Attorney General John J. Burns, citing personal family reasons, will resign effective January 2, Governor Sean Parnell said.

In a letter to Parnell, Burns said his decision was based “solely on personal reasons,” and a better balance between work and family life, Parnell said today in a statement.

“Although I have come to realize that it is possible to live out of a suitcase, doing so is neither fair to family nor particularly conducive to one’s health,” Burns wrote in the letter, according to the statement.

Burns has served as Alaska’s attorney general since December 2010 and his resignation is effective Jan. 2, according to the statement. Parnell said he accepted the resignation with reluctance.

Monica Jenicek, a spokeswoman for Burns, didn’t immediately return a call seeking comment on the resignation.