Alaska Supreme Court positioned to be majority-women for first time

Alaska Supreme Court Justice Jennifer Henderson is seen on Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024, in Juneau. Alaska's Supreme Court will likely soon have three female and two male justices, making it majority-women for the first time. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)

Seven attorneys have thrown their name in the ring for a judicial position in Alaska’s Supreme Court. All seven candidates are women, meaning that – if everything proceeds as expected – the court will be majority-women for the first time in state history.

The seven applicants were announced last week by the Alaska Judicial Council, which screens and nominates applicants for judicial positions. The governor then fills a judicial vacancy from the nominees provided by the council.

The attorneys are applying to replace Chief Justice Peter Maassen, who will turn 70 – the retirement age for Alaska judges – in 2025. Maassen’s departure will mark the end of a series of retirements on the Supreme Court.

The incoming justice will be the fourth appointed by Gov. Mike Dunleavy out of a five-person court. The only justice that will not have been appointed by Dunleavy is Susan M. Carney, who was appointed by former Gov. Bill Walker in 2016. Carney replaced former Justice Dana Fabe, who was the first woman appointed to the Alaska Supreme Court in 1996.

The judicial council is made up of three attorneys and three public members appointed by the governor, as well as the chief justice – currently Maassen.

According to the appointment procedure outlined by the Alaska Constitution, the council will issue a survey to all Alaska attorneys, asking them to rank the candidates on six criteria related to professional suitability and judgment. The Alaska Judicial Council said that the results of the survey should be available in late September.

Then, the council will interview each candidate. In November, the attorney and public members of the council will vote to nominate the candidates who they believe to be the most qualified. If there is a tie, Maassen would cast the tie-breaking vote. The governor will then choose a new justice from the nominees.

Out of Alaska’s 27 current and former Supreme Court justices, only four have been women.

The Supreme Court justice applicants are:

• Kate Demarest , a senior assistant attorney general at the Alaska Department of Law in Anchorage;
• Josie Garton , a Superior Court judge in Anchorage;
• Aimee Anderson Oravec , general counsel for Doyon Utilities LLC in Fairbanks;
• Margaret O. Rogers , currently in private practice in Fairbanks;
• Kate Vogel , the first assistant United States attorney at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Anchorage;
• Holly C. Wells , currently in private practice in Anchorage; and
• Laura Wolff , a senior assistant attorney general at the Department of Law in Anchorage.

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