Alaska ? A critic of Gov. Sarah Palin is suing to try to force preservation of any government-related e-mails that Palin sent from private accounts.

Andree McLeod, a former state worker, filed the lawsuit against Palin, the Republican vice presidential candidate, in Anchorage on Thursday. Palin’s gubernatorial spokeswoman, Sharon Leighow, said Saturday she could not comment on pending litigation.

Palin’s e-mail account with Yahoo Inc. was compromised last month by a hacker who revealed as evidence a few inconsequential personal messages she has received since John McCain selected her as his running mate.

Palin used “gov.sarah” in one of the Yahoo e-mail addresses she sometimes used to conduct state business. The hacker targeted her separate “gov.palin” account. Both have been shut down.

The hacking of Palin’s private account is significant because Palin has sometimes used private e-mail accounts to conduct state business. Previously disclosed e-mails indicate her administration embraced Yahoo accounts as an alternative to government e-mail, which could possibly be released to the public under Alaska’s Open Records Act.