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." 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. while matthews opposed the law, arguing that the law was too broad in not allowing a retailer to argue that a clerk was not negligent.