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Lawmakers defend Palin trooper probe.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (CNN) - Alaska lawmakers investigating Gov. Sarah Palin's firing of her public safety commissioner defended their probe to the state Supreme Court on Tuesday, three days before the deadline for their report to be completed.

Palin's Republican allies have asked her state's highest court to shut down the investigation, and the justices are scheduled to hear arguments on the issue Wednesday. In a brief filed Tuesday afternoon, lawmakers say the effort is meant entirely "to avoid a negative impact on the fortunes of one political party."

Palin is now the Republican nominee for vice president.

In August, after she became Sen. John McCain's running mate, five GOP lawmakers sued to block the investigation into her July dismissal of former Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan.

A judge in Anchorage dismissed their suit last week, ruling that the Legislature could manage its own investigation and upholding subpoenas for members of Palin's administration.

In their appeal, Palin's allies argue the investigation is a Democratic-led witch hunt.

"Completing the investigation and the resulting report in October serves no other purpose than the illegitimate one of trying to deliver an 'October surprise' that will affect the outcome of the national presidential election," their lawyers wrote.

But the probe's leaders say the record shows Republicans have supported every step that has been taken.

"What it shows is Alaska's legislators acting with thoughtfulness, collegiality and respect for each other as well as due attention to the rules of their coequal institution," their brief states.

Though the probe has had the support of key Republicans in the Legislature, the GOP members who brought the case accuse two Democrats - state Sens. Kim Elton, the chairman of the Legislative Council, and Hollis French, the Judiciary Committee chairman overseeing the probe - of trying to damage the Republican ticket. French in particular has been criticized for a September 2 interview with ABC News in which he warned that the probe could result in an "October Surprise" for the Mccain-Palin campaign.

Palin says she sacked Monegan in July after months of disagreements over state budgets. But Monegan has said he believes he was fired because he resisted pressure to fire the governor's ex-brother-in-law, State Trooper Mike Wooten.

Palin has denied any wrongdoing, calling Wooten a "rogue trooper" who had threatened her family during his divorce from the governor's sister, but saying Monegan continued to lobby lawmakers for projects his boss opposed.

The bipartisan Legislative Council unanimously commissioned the investigation in July, setting an original deadline of October 31 for its completion. Palin initially pledged to cooperate with the probe - but since becoming the Republican vice presidential nominee in August, she has attempted to straight-arm an investigation her aides have called "tainted" by partisan politics.

Since Sunday, seven members of Palin's administration and her husband, Todd, have reversed their earlier refusal to comply with subpoenas and agreed to give statements to investigators. Todd Palin is scheduled to submit written answers to questions through his attorney on Wednesday.

But lawmakers leading the investigation have said Stephen Branchflower, the former Anchorage prosecutor hired to conduct the inquiry, is still scheduled to deliver his report at a public meeting of the Legislative Council on Friday.

Palin aides have said the governor will cooperate with a separate investigation by the state Personnel Board. Since she became McCain's running mate, her advisers have argued that that agency is the proper venue for the inquiry.

The board has hired its own investigator, and both Sarah and Todd Palin are likely to take questions from him the third week of October, campaign aides said Monday. The three-member panel is appointed by the governor, though its current members were initially appointed by Palin's predecessor.