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Alaska Supreme Court elections, 2016
| 2016 State Judicial Elections |
|---|
 |
| Part 1: Overview |
| Part 2: Supreme Courts |
| Part 3: Partisanship |
| Part 4: Changes in 2016 |
Two seats on the Alaska Supreme Court were up for retention elections on November 8, 2016. Justice Joel Bolger and Justice Peter J. Maassen faced retention elections after their appointments to the supreme court in 2012 and 2013, respectively.[1][2] If retained, a supreme court justice serves for 10 years prior to the next retention election.
Justices who faced retention
■ Joel Bolger 
■ Peter J. Maassen
Election results
Joel Bolger was retained in the Alaska Supreme Court, Bolger's seat election with 57.87% of the vote.
| Alaska Supreme Court, Bolger's seat, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Yes votes | |
| Joel Bolger | 57.87% | |
| Source: Alaska 2016 General Election, Official Results | ||
Peter J. Maassen was retained in the Alaska Supreme Court, Maassen's seat election with 57.47% of the vote.
| Alaska Supreme Court, Maassen's seat, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Yes votes | |
| Peter J. Maassen | 57.47% | |
| Source: Alaska 2016 General Election, Official Results | ||
Political composition
Justices on the Alaska Supreme Court are nonpartisan and appointed to their seats. Four of the five justices were appointed by Republican governors: Daniel Winfree, Joel Bolger, Craig Stowers, and Peter J. Maassen. Justice Susan Carney was appointed by Governor Bill Walker (Independent).
| ■ Chief Justice Craig Stowers | Appointed by Sean Parnell (R) in 2009 | |
| ■ Joel Bolger | Appointed by Sean Parnell (R) in 2013 | |
| ■ Susan Carney | Appointed by Bill Walker (Ind.) in 2016 | |
| ■ Peter J. Maassen | Appointed by Sean Parnell (R) in 2012 | |
| ■ Daniel Winfree | Appointed by Sarah Palin (R) in 2008 |
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 a 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.[3]
- They may be impeached by two thirds of the Alaska Senate and subsequently convicted by two thirds of the House of Representatives.
Political outlook
In October 2012, political science professors Adam Bonica and Michael Woodruff of Stanford University attempted to determine the partisan outlook of state supreme court justices in their paper, "State Supreme Court Ideology and 'New Style' Judicial Campaigns." A score above 0 indicated a more conservative-leaning ideology while scores below 0 were more liberal. The state Supreme Court of Alaska was given a campaign finance score (CFscore), which was calculated for judges in October 2012. At that time, Alaska received a score of -0.11. Based on the justices selected, Alaska was the 21st most liberal court. The study was based on data from campaign contributions by judges themselves, the partisan leaning of contributors to the judges, or—in the absence of elections—the ideology of the appointing body (governor or legislature). This study was not a definitive label of a justice but rather an academic gauge of various factors.[4]
State profile
| Demographic data for Alaska | ||
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 737,709 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 570,641 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 66% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 3.4% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 5.9% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 13.8% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 1.2% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 8.4% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 6.5% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 92.1% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 28% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $72,515 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 11.3% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Alaska. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
- See also: Presidential voting trends in Alaska
Alaska voted Republican in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
More Alaska coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in Alaska
- United States congressional delegations from Alaska
- Public policy in Alaska
- Endorsers in Alaska
- Alaska fact checks
- More...
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Alaska Supreme Court election 2016' OR 'Alaska Supreme Court'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Alaska Judicial Council, "Judges Eligible to Stand for Retention Election in 2016," accessed August 14, 2015
- ↑ State of Alaska Division of Elections, "November 8, 2016 General Election Candidate List," accessed August 5, 2016
- ↑ Alaska Commission on Judicial Conduct
- ↑ Stanford University, "State Supreme Court Ideology and 'New Style' Judicial Campaigns," October 31, 2012
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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
