Helping Alaskans make informed decisions about Alaska’s courts, judges, and judicial elections.

How should I decide how to vote on a particular judge?

Most Alaskans do not appear in court frequently or see how judges perform their duties. But all judges are subject to a thorough performance review by the people who appear before and interact with each judge:

• Attorneys;

• Police and probation officers handling criminal cases statewide;

• Social Services Professionals;

• Jurors;

• Court employees;

The results of the surveys are available to the public for inspection.

As a result, voters can see how the people who appeared before a particular judge evaluated that judge’s performance on a number of factors:

1. Legal ability—knowledge of the law, court procedure, and the rules of evidence;

2. Impartiality and fairness—a sense of fairness and justice and if they treat all parties equally;

3. Integrity—does the judge make decisions based on the law rather than politics or possible public criticism?

4. Judicial Temperament—courtesy, human understanding and compassion;

5. Diligence and Administrative skills—is the judge prepared for proceedings? Does the judge work efficiently and reasonably prompt in making decisions?

You can learn more about this process here.

The results of these surveys also included in the election pamphlet mailed to all registered voters.

Not registered to vote? You can register here.

Find judges appearing on your ballot here.

How are Alaska judges selected?

Alaska employs a multi-step and non-political process designed to ensure the highest quality judges and limit the impact of partisan politics in the selection process.

• Any lawyer wishing to become a judge must satisfy the requirements of citizenship and legal experience;

• The lawyer submits their name to the Alaska Judicial Council (AJC);

• The AJC performs a comprehensive evaluation of each applicant:

First, the AJC surveys all Alaskan lawyers about the qualifications and suitability of each applicant.

Second, the AJC contacts an applicant’s former and present employers, and sends questionnaires to judges and lawyers involved in cases handled by the applicant in the past.

Finally, the AJC holds a public hearing and seeks comments and opinions from all Alaskan citizens.

The Alaska Judicial Council then carefully identifies two or more of the highest-qualified applicants and sends those names to the Governor who selects one of the applicants.

Why does Alaska follow this process?

Alaska’s system of judicial selection was designed by the framers of Alaska’s Constitution as a merit-based system.

In some states, the selection of judges is a purely political process where voters choose candidates based on their political affiliation rather than on their knowledge, experience, legal ability, or temperament.

The Alaska Constitution seeks to eliminate partisan politics and ensure the highest quality judges are selected while providing transparency of the entire process.

Do any other states use this system?

Yes! 38 other states use some variation of the merit-based selection process used in Alaska—making it the most common system of selecting high quality judges throughout the United States.

What is the Alaska Judicial Council?

The Alaska Judicial Council is a non-partisan committee made up of seven Alaskans:

• Three non-lawyers appointed by the Governor of Alaska and confirmed by the Alaska Legislature, three lawyers appointed by the Alaska Bar Association Board of Governors, and the sitting Chief Justice of the Alaska Supreme Court.

• Current non-lawyer members:

  • Dave Parker of Wasilla, retired Anchorage Police Dept. detective

    • Appointed by Gov. Parnell 2013; reappointed by Gov. Dunleavy 2019.

  • Kristie Babcok of Soldotna, former Boards and Commission Director under Gov. Frank Murkowski

    • Appointed by Gov. Dunleavy 2021.

  • Lynne Gallant of Anchorage

    • appointed by Gov. Walker 2017.

• Current lawyer members:

  • Patricia Collins of Juneau;

  • Geraldine Simon of Fairbanks;

  • Jonathan Katcher of Anchorage.

• The Current Alaska Supreme Court Chief Justice:

  • Peter J. Maassen

Learn More:

• “Why Alaska judges are appointed, but still run for retention in elections” - Alaska Public Media

• “Finish the ballot” -Juneau Empire

• “Cast an informed vote for Alaska’s Judges” -ADN

• “Finish your ballot by voting on the judges” - Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

• “In Support of Alaska’s Independent Judiciary” - Opinion by Chuck Kopp (R)