Alaska

The pandemic has affected our civil justice system in many ways, yet perhaps the most important role access to justice entities can play in the near future is to advocate for the retention of remote access systems for court appearances as well as for the delivery of legal and self-help services.

In every state across the nation, judges in family court regularly deal with challenging custody issues as families proceed through the divorce process. And, recent amendments to Alaska’s divorce laws have added another important custody consideration: pets.

In a recent amicus brief to the Alaska Supreme Court, the American Bar Association (ABA) argues that the Alaskan Constitution requires appointment of counsel to an indigent parent in a child custody case when a private lawyer represents the other party.

The Alaska Supreme Court has issued an Order establishing an informal trial for divorce, property division, parenting agreements, and child support cases. The informal trial process is voluntary. If both parties to a case consent to an informal trial, they will speak directly to the judge and the Rules of Evidence will be relaxed.

Republican state legislators have proposed a bill that would increase the size of, and allow the governor to appoint a majority of members to, the Alaska Judicial Council. The AJC serves as both the judicial nominating commission and the judicial performance evaluation commission. Under the new bill, the AJC would be expanded to 16 members, and the change would require amending the constitution.

Socially conservative legislators in Alaska have proposed a bill that would remove the judicial council’s authority to make recommendations regarding judges standing for retention. In Tennessee, legislators have proposed a bill that would allow them to reconstitute the nine-member performance evaluation commission with no judge members. It would also authorize the commission to rewrite existing evaluative criteria and to prevent judges who receive a recommendation “for replacement” from standing for retention.

From two nominees submitted by the Alaska Judicial Council, Governor Parnell appointed Anchorage attorney Peter Maassen to fill the vacancy created by Justice Morgan Christen’s appointment to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

The judicial council forwarded to Governor Parnell the names of two potential appointees for the supreme court vacancy created by Justice Morgan Christen’s move to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The governor must appoint one of the two within 45 days. In his 16 judicial appointments to date, the governor has favored individuals who have conservative or traditional Christian backgrounds.

The Senate confirmed supreme court justice Morgan Christen's appointment to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Governor Palin appointed Christen to the state high court in 2009.