As a retired lawyer and former businesswoman, I recognize the vital importance of courts that honor our basic rights and freedoms, however controversial. Unlike political fortunes, which change constantly, the fundamental principles that courts uphold must survive political storms or be rendered meaningless. Judges who defend these principles in the face of public clamor should be supported, not lose their jobs.

I have been a commercial fisherman and businessman in Alaska for 53 years, and served in the State House representing the Kenai Peninsula from 2003 to 2018, including in leadership on numerous committees…Having studied judicial systems in other states, I find that the judicial selection and retention system in Alaska is superior to others. Our merit-based system avoids the corruption and conflict of interest inherent in systems utilizing political appointment or popular elections found in other states and in the federal judiciary. Judges appointed from a “most qualified” pool, followed by periodic “retention” elections, provides accountability. Renewed terms of service through retention, coupled with mandatory retirement at age 70, ensures Alaskans that our judiciary does not become stale. The foresight of the selection and retention system created by our constitutional framers benefits all Alaskans…

Everyone’s life is touched by the judicial system, including workers. A fair and impartial judiciary is fundamental to Alaskans’ ability to protect themselves in their place of work. Fair and independent courts are the bedrock for protecting all of the rights that Alaskans count on every day of our lives.Everyone’s life is touched by the judicial system, including workers.

I read Alaska’s judicial decisions every year and am certain that there is no state that has a finer set of judges than Alaska, many of whom have demonstrated over the years that they are among the best in the United States. This is a direct result of the method of judicial selection and retention in Alaska. It ensures that Alaskans are able to count on their judges to protect their fundamental rights and deliver justice without fear of retribution for potentially unpopular decisions. The ability to render decisions based only on the law without fear of political consequences is at the core of a truly great and independent judiciary.

My mother worked in the state court system, and through her I learned a lot about the Alaska state court system. As an adult, I came to appreciate the quality of the judges who serve on our courts. Alaska’s Constitution ensures that our judges are independent from political pressures and partisan ideals. Independent judges assure us that cases will be decided fairly and according to the law. As a lifelong Alaskan, I want to protect judicial independence, which will protect the future of Alaska and our way of life

Alaska should be celebrated for our ability to maintain an independent judiciary of highly qualified judges. We keep politics out of the judiciary better than any other state in the Nation.

Alaskans benefit from a unique opportunity to participate in the evaluation of a judge’s job performance. It is both a privilege and a responsibility to be able to participate in this process and vote in judicial retention elections. By focusing on a judge’s job performance, Alaskans are assured that our judges cannot be bought and sold by individuals or special interests who might have more money or influence than other Alaskans. Our people depend on fair judges who follow the law – protecting justice for all.

Having provided legal and judicial services in three states and fourteen tribes for the past 31 years, I firmly believe people expect to be treated fairly and without bias when they enter a justice system, whether it is civil or criminal, no matter if it is tribal, state or federal. Judges have the job of ensuring the law is impartially applied without any outside personal or political influence and that the most just outcome is rendered. Alaska’s current nomination, selection and evaluation system accomplishes just that. Independent, fair and qualified judges get the job done.

As a lifelong Alaskan, I am proud that Alaska’s judges embody the highest principles of their calling.  Alaskans benefit from judges who are fair, impartial and independent, and who look only to the law for guidance in their decision-making, without regard to political winds or ideological pressures from any direction.

My work as an attorney took me across the country, and I came to greatly appreciate Alaska’s merit system for selecting – and retaining – judges. It has ensured Alaskans that our judges remain focused on making decisions that are based on the law, without fear of reprisal from partisan or other special interests. Partisan and other politics simply have no place in our courtrooms.  Alaskans deserve impartial, fair judges who serve all of us with integrity by following the law regardless of pressure to do otherwise.

During a career that has spanned over four decades, I have appeared before many judges throughout Alaska. I can’t recall a single instance where I came to the conclusion that any particular trial court judge was liberal or conservative. It simply was not relevant to the resolution of my case. Likewise, I don’t recall a client ever asking me whether the judge was conservative or liberal, or what their position was on abortion and other hot-button issues. My clients were interested in the same thing I was: did the judge have a good reputation as someone who did their homework and applied the law in a fair and impartial manner? Alaska’s system of judicial selection is set up to achieve that goal. It is important for us to do everything possible to protect and preserve that system.

As a lawyer often involved in election disputes, I understand more than most the difference between strongly-held political views and the demands of the rule of law. They are quite different, yet many would have us confuse them, suggesting that politics should overrule the law and facts of a given case. To me, this approach makes judges beholden those with political power, not the oath they take to uphold the law.