Alaska Supreme Court elections, 2022
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The term of one Alaska Supreme Court justice expired on February 1, 2023. The seat was scheduled to be up for retention on November 8, 2022. The election was not required after Justice Daniel Winfree did not file for retention. Winfree reached the court's mandatory retirement age in February 2023. The filing deadline was August 1, 2022.
Alaska was one of 30 states that held elections for state supreme court in 2022. That year, 84 of the 344 seats on state supreme courts were up for election. Of those, 64 were held by nonpartisan justices, 13 were held by Republican justices, and eight were held by Democratic justices. For more on the partisan affiliation of state supreme court justices, click here. For an overview of state supreme court elections in 2022, click here.
Judges with expiring terms
- This is a list of the justices who were required to stand for retention election in 2022 in order to remain on the bench. Justices could choose not to stand for election.
About the Alaska Supreme Court
- See also: Alaska Supreme Court
Founded in 1959 as provided in the state constitution, the Alaska Supreme Court is the state's court of last resort.
Political composition
This was the political composition of the supreme court heading into the 2022 election. Justices on the Alaska Supreme Court are appointed to their seats and must run in retention elections to remain on the court.
| ■ Daniel Winfree | Appointed in 2008 by Gov. Sarah Palin (R); Elected in 2012 | |
| ■ Peter J. Maassen | Appointed in 2012 by Gov. Sean Parnell (R); Elected in 2016 | |
| ■ Susan Carney | Appointed in 2016 by Gov. Bill Walker (ind.) | |
| ■ Dario Borghesan | Appointed in 2020 by Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R) |
Selection
- See also: Judicial selection in Alaska
Alaska's supreme court justices are chosen using the Commission-selection, political appointment method of judicial selection. The Alaska Judicial Council forwards a list of its nominees to the governor, who must choose a name from the list within 45 days to fill any vacancy. Justices serve 10-year terms on the court. Appointed justices are then subject to a retention election at the state's first general election that is more than three years after the appointment. After that, the five justices are subject to retention elections every ten years.
Qualifications
To be considered a candidate of the Supreme Court, the person must:
- Be a citizen of the United States.
- Be a resident of Alaska for at least five years prior to the time of appointment.
- Be licensed to practice law in Alaska at the time of appointment.
- Be actively engaged in law practice for eight years prior to the appointment.
Removal of justices
Justices can be removed in one of two ways:
- They may be suspended, removed from office, or censured by the Supreme Court upon the recommendation of the Alaska Commission on Judicial Conduct.[1]
- They may be impeached by a two-thirds majority of the Alaska State Senate and subsequently convicted by a two-thirds majority of the Alaska House of Representatives.
See also
External links
Footnotes
Federal courts:
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: District of Alaska • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: District of Alaska
State courts:
Alaska Supreme Court • Alaska Court of Appeals • Alaska Superior Court • Alaska District Court
State resources:
Courts in Alaska • Alaska judicial elections • Judicial selection in Alaska
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