Alaska Supreme Court justice vacancy (June 2020)
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| Stowers Vacancy Alaska Supreme Court |
| Vacancy date |
| Vacancy status |
| Nomination date |
| July 1, 2020 |
| Table of contents |
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Selection process About Justice Stowers |
| See also |
| Recent news External links Footnotes |
Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy (R) appointed Dario Borghesan to the Alaska Supreme Court on July 1, 2020. Borghesan succeeded Justice Craig Stowers, who retired on June 1, 2020. Borghesan was Dunleavy's first nominee to the five-member supreme court.[1][2]
At the time of the vacancy under Alaska law, state supreme court justices were appointed by the governor from a list of two or more nominees compiled by the Alaska Judicial Council.
The appointee
- See also: Dario Borghesan
Before his appointment to the Alaska Supreme Court, Borghesan was the supervising attorney of the Alaska Department of Law's civil appeals section. He previously served in other positions within the department, including as special assistant to the attorney general (2009-2010) and assistant attorney general handling civil appeals (2010-2018). He was a law clerk to Justice Daniel Winfree on the state supreme court from 2008 to 2009.[3]
Borghesan obtained a B.A., magna cum laude, from Amherst College in 2002. He received his J.D., magna cum laude and Order of the Coif, from the University of Michigan Law School in 2008. From 2002 to 2004, Borghesan served in the Peace Corps in Togo, Africa.[3]
Appointee candidates and nominations
Finalists
The Alaska Judicial Council recommended four finalists to the governor on May 19, 2020. The governor had 45 days to select an appointee.[4]
- Superior Court Judge Dani Crosby
- Superior Court Judge Jennifer Stuart Henderson
- Superior Court Judge Yvonne Lamoureux
- Chief Assistant Attorney General Dario Borghesan
Applicants
Eight individuals applied to fill the position. Information about the candidates below was current as of February 18, 2020.[5]
- Dario Borghesan: A chief assistant attorney general in Anchorage, Alaska. Borghesan graduated from the University of Michigan Law School in 2008.
- Judge Dani Crosby: A superior court judge in Anchorage. Crosby graduated from Gonzaga University School of Law in 1996.
- Attorney Kate Demarest: A senior assistant attorney general in Anchorage. She graduated from the University of Minnesota Law School in 2008.
- Judge Jennifer Stuart Henderson: A superior court judge in Anchorage. She graduated from Yale Law School in 2001.
- Judge Yvonne Lamoureux: A superior court judge in Anchorage. She graduated from the University of Virginia School of Law in 2003.
- Attorney Margaret Paton Walsh: A chief assistant attorney general in Anchorage. She graduated from Harvard Law School in 2004.
- Judge Paul A. Roetman: A superior court judge in Kotzebue, Alaska. He graduated from Regent University School of Law in 1999.
- Judge Jonathan Woodman: A superior court judge in Palmer, Alaska. He graduated from the Ohio State University College of Law in 1993.[5]
The selection process
- See also: Judicial selection in Alaska
At the time of the appointment, the five justices of the Alaska Supreme Court were appointed by the governor from a list of two or more nominees compiled by the Alaska Judicial Council.[6]
New justices served an initial term of at least three years, after which the justice had to stand for retention in an uncontested yes-no election to remain on the bench. Subsequent terms lasted ten years.[6] For more information about Alaska judicial elections, click here.
Alaska Judicial Council
- See also: Alaska Judicial Council
The Alaska Judicial Council, also known as the AJC, was established by the Alaska Constitution as an independent state commission responsible for screening applicants for judicial vacancies. The AJC provided a list of the applicants to the governor for their consideration.[7][8]
The AJC was composed of seven members. Three members had to be lawyers, three had to be non-lawyers, and the final member was the chief justice of the Alaska Supreme Court. The chief justice would serve as the ex officio chair of the council.[7] The lawyer members were selected by the governor and confirmed by the Alaska Legislature on a majority vote. The nonlawyer members were appointed by the board of governors of the Alaska Bar Association.
About Justice Stowers
- See also: Craig Stowers
Justice Stowers was appointed to the Alaska Supreme Court in 2009 by Governor Sean Parnell (R).[9] Stowers was retained by voters on November 4, 2014. He served as chief justice of the court from June 2015 to July 2018.[10]
Stowers was a judge on the Alaska Third Judicial District Court from 2004 to 2009. Before that, he was an attorney in private practice from 1987 to 2004. Stowers was a law clerk to Alaska Supreme Court Justice Warren Matthews from 1986 to 1987 and to Judge Robert Boochever on the United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit from 1985 to 1986.[11]
Stowers received his undergraduate degree in biology, with honors, from Blackburn College in 1975 and his J.D. from the University of California Davis in 1985.
Other state supreme court appointments in 2020
- See also: State supreme court vacancies, 2020
The following table lists vacancies to state supreme courts that opened in 2020. Click the link under the Court column for a particular vacancy for more information on that vacancy.
Click here for vacancies that opened in 2021.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Office of Governor Mike Dunleavy, "Governor Dunleavy Announces Two Judicial Appointees," July 1, 2020
- ↑ Anchorage Daily News, "Alaska Supreme Court justice Craig Stowers to retire," January 7, 2020
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Alaska Judicial Council, "Application for Judicial Appointment," February 14, 2020
- ↑ Anchorage Daily News, "Alaska Judicial Council picks 4 finalists for Supreme Court vacancy," May 20, 2020
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Alaska Judicial Council, "Announcing applicants: Alaska Supreme Court, Palmer District Court," February 14, 2020
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Alaska," archived October 2, 2014
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Alaska Constitution, "Judiciary," accessed April 23, 2015
- ↑ Alaska Judicial Council, "Homepage," accessed April 23, 2015
- ↑ Sean Parnell Press Release, "Parnell Names Supreme Court Judge," December 2, 2009
- ↑ KTUU.com, "Stowers named newest Alaska Supreme Court chief justice," June 3, 2015
- ↑ Alaska Judicial Council, "Application for Judicial Appointment - Craig F. Stowers," May 28, 2009
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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
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