All of the seven attorneys who have applied for appointment to fill the latest vacancy on Alaska’s Supreme Court are women. After the governor selects the next justice, the court will be majority-women for the first time in state history.
After one of the seven is seated on the court, three of the five members will be women.
The seven applicants were announced last month 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.
The judicial council is comprised of three attorneys and three public members appointed by the governor, as well as the chief justice.
According to the appointment procedure outlined by the state 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 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.
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