Joel Bolger
Joel Harold Bolger was a judge of the Alaska Supreme Court. He assumed office on February 1, 2013. He left office on June 30, 2021.
Bolger was the chief justice of the Alaska Supreme Court from 2018 to 2021. He was first appointed to the court by Republican Gov. Sean Parnell on January 25, 2013, to succeed Justice Walter Carpeneti.[1] Bolger was sworn in on April 26, 2013, and was retained by voters in 2016.[2] Justice Bolger is unique for having served on every level in the Alaska state court system. To read more about judicial selection in Alaska click here.
Biography
Bolger received his bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Iowa in 1976 and his J.D. from the University of Iowa College of Law in 1978.[3] Prior to joining the court, he worked as a supervising attorney for the Alaska Legal Services Corporation, as an assistant public defender in Barrow, Alaska, and as an attorney with Jamin, Ebell, Bolger & Gentry.[4]
Bolger was appointed to the Valdez District Court in 1997 before being appointed to the Kodiak Superior Court in 2003. In 2008, Bolger was appointed to the Alaska Court of Appeals.
In 2013, Bolger was appointed to serve as a justice on the Alaska Supreme Court. Bolger was elected Chief Justice in 2018. In November 2020, Bolger announced he would retire from the state supreme court on June 30, 2021.[5]
Elections
2018
Bolger was elected Chief Justice to the Alaska Supreme Court.[6]
2016
- See also: Alaska Supreme Court elections, 2016
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 | ||
2013
Bolger was appointed to the Alaska Supreme Court on January 25, 2013, by Governor Sean Parnell (R). He was appointed to fill the vacancy created by Justice Walter Carpeneti's retirement.
| “ | Judge Bolger’s vast experience will be a tremendous asset for Alaska’s highest court. His service at each level of the Alaska Court System has prepared him to serve Alaskans with humility, thoughtfulness, legal expertise, and discernment. - Governor Sean Parnell[7] | ” |
2012
- See also: Alaska judicial elections, 2012
Bolger was retained to the Court of Appeals with 65.24% of the vote on November 6th, 2012.[8][9]
2008
Bolger was appointed to the Alaska Court of Appeals on August 29, 2008, by Governor Sarah Palin (R). He was appointed to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of David Stewart. Bolger served in that position until his Supreme Court appointment in 2013.[1]
| “ | Judge Bolger clearly has the experience necessary to be an exceptional appeals court judge. His work as a trial attorney in rural Alaska, combined with his work as a judge at the district and superior court levels, has made him a seasoned, knowledgeable and thoughtful judge who will continue to provide exemplary service to Alaska in his new position.[3] - Governor Sarah Palin[7] | ” |
2006
Bolger was retained to the Kodiak Superior Court in a 2006 election.[10]
2003
Bolger was appointed to the Kodiak Superior Court on September 9, 2003 by Governor Frank Murkowski (R) to fill a vacancy left by the retirement of Judge Donald Hopwood.[1]
2000
Bolger was retained to the Valdez District Court in a 2000 election.[11]
1997
In 1997, Bolger was appointed to the Valdez District Court by Governor Tony Knowles (D).[1]
Analysis
Ballotpedia Courts: State Partisanship (2020)
Last updated: June 15, 2020
In 2020, Ballotpedia published Ballotpedia Courts: State Partisanship, a study examining the partisan affiliation of all state supreme court justices in the country as of June 15, 2020.
The study presented Confidence Scores that represented our confidence in each justice's degree of partisan affiliation. This was not a measure of where a justice fell on an ideological spectrum, but rather a measure of how much confidence we had that a justice was or had been affiliated with a political party. The scores were based on seven factors, including but not limited to party registration.[12]
The five resulting categories of Confidence Scores were:
- Strong Democrat
- Mild Democrat
- Indeterminate[13]
- Mild Republican
- Strong Republican
This justice's Confidence Score, as well as the factors contributing to that score, is presented below. The information below was current as of June 2020.
Joel Harold
Bolger
Alaska
- Partisan Confidence Score:
Mild Republican - Judicial Selection Method:
Assisted appointment through hybrid judicial nominating commission - Key Factors:
- Appointed by a Republican governor
- State was a Republican trifecta at time of appointment
Partisan Profile
Details:
Bolger was appointed by Gov. Sean Parnell (R). At the time of his appointment, Alaska was a Republican trifecta.
Noteworthy cases
Alaska House recount ruling (2019)
Following oral arguments on January 4, 2019, the Alaska Supreme Court affirmed a finding by special master Eric Aarseth that the Division of Elections acted properly when it held a recount in the District 1 race and found that Bart LeBon (R) defeated Kathryn Dodge (D) by one vote.[14] The race was initially certified as a tied race by the Division of Elections on November 26, 2018, which triggered an automatic recount. The tallied votes after the recount were 2,663 votes for LeBon (R) and 2,662 votes for Dodge (D). Following the recount, Dodge appealed to the supreme court.[15]
See also
External links
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Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Alaska Judicial Council, "Current Judges," accessed March 8. 2021
- ↑ Juneau Empire.com, "Parnell elevates Appeals judge to Supreme Court," accessed January 25, 2013
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 News, "Governor Palin Appoints Joel H. Bolger," September 12, 2008
- ↑ Alaska Judicial Council for Judicial Appointment, "Bolger Application for Judicial Appointment 2012," July 20, 2012
- ↑ Alaska Court System, "Press Release: Chief Justice Joel Bolger to Retire June 30, 2021," accessed June 11, 2021
- ↑ Juneau Empire, "Alaska Supreme Court elects new chief justice," accessed June 11, 2021
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Alaska Division of Elections, "2012 General Official Candidate List" accessed June 18, 2021
- ↑ Alaska Secretary of State, "State of Alaska, 2012 General Election, November 6, 2012 Official Results," November 28, 2012
- ↑ Alaska Judicial Council, "Judge Joel Bolger Superior Court, Kodiak Recommendation" accessed October 1, 2009
- ↑ Alaska Judicial Council, "Judge Joel Bolger Recommendation District Court Valdez," accessed October 1, 2009
- ↑ The seven factors were party registration, donations made to partisan candidates, donations made to political parties, donations received from political parties or bodies with clear political affiliation, participation in political campaigns, the partisanship of the body responsible for appointing the justice, and state trifecta status when the justice joined the court.
- ↑ An Indeterminate score indicates that there is either not enough information about the justice’s partisan affiliations or that our research found conflicting partisan affiliations.
- ↑ KTUU, "Alaska Supreme Court denies Dodge appeal, LeBon wins House District 1," January 4, 2019
- ↑ Webcenter 11, "House District 1 Candidate Kathryn Dodge appeals recount results," December 5, 2018
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
