SB0025A -1- SB 25
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34-LS0262\A
SENATE BILL NO. 25
IN THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA
THIRTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE - FIRST SESSION
BY SENATOR MYERS
Introduced: 1/10/25
Referred: Prefiled
A BILL
FOR AN ACT ENTITLED
"An Act relating to information on judicial officers seeking retention in office." 1
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 2
* Section 1. AS 15.58.030(g) is amended to read: 3
(g) Not [NO] later than August 7 of a [THE] year in which the state general
4
election will be held, a person seeking retention in office as a justice or judge may file 5
with the lieutenant governor the following information, not to exceed 300 words: 6
(1) a photograph; 7
(2) information regarding the residency of the justice or judge; 8
(3) information regarding the military service of the justice or 9
judge; 10
(4) information regarding the professional activities of the justice 11
or judge, including public outreach and administrative activities; 12
(5) any additional information that the justice or judge would like 13
published to support the justice's or judge's [AND A STATEMENT 14
ADVOCATING THE] candidacy. 15 34-LS0262\A
SB 25 -2- SB0025A
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* Sec. 2. AS 15.58.050 is amended to read: 1
Sec. 15.58.050. Information and recommendations on judicial officers. Not 2
[NO] later than August 7 of a [THE] year in which the state general election will be 3
held, the judicial council shall file with the lieutenant governor a statement including 4
information about each supreme court justice, court of appeals judge, superior court 5
judge, and district court judge who will be subject to a retention election. The 6
statement must [SHALL] reflect the evaluation of each justice or judge conducted by 7
the judicial council according to law and, except for information required by law to 8
be kept confidential, must contain, in fewer than 1,200 words total, 9
(1) for a superior court judge or district court judge subject to 10
retention, 11
(A) a statement written by the judge, not to exceed 150 12
words, describing the professional philosophy of the judge; 13
(B) a description of the judicial, legal, or other education of 14
the judge; 15
(C) a description of the business experience of and 16
professional positions held by the judge in the preceding 10 years; 17
(D) a list of service organizations with which the judge is 18
affiliated; 19
(E) if applicable, ratings of the judge by law enforcement 20
officers, attorneys, court system employees, and jurors; 21
(F) the number of decisions by the judge that were 22
reviewed and disposed of by a written decision of an appellate court and 23
the percentage of issues in those decisions that were affirmed by the 24
appellate court; 25
(G) a description of any public disciplinary proceedings 26
against the judge; 27
(H) a self-assessment by the judge, not to exceed 250 words, 28
evaluating the judge's judicial performance; the self-assessment may 29
include comments on the judge's satisfaction with the judge's judicial role, 30
specific contributions to the judiciary or the field of law, growth in legal 31 34-LS0262\A
SB0025A -3- SB 25
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knowledge and judicial skills, or other measures of judicial abilities that 1
the judge believes to be important; 2
(2) for a supreme court justice or court of appeals judge subject to 3
retention, the information required under (1)(A) - (E), (G), and (H) of this 4
subsection; 5
(3) for a justice or judge standing retention for the first time, a 6
description of 7
(A) previous political and governmental positions held by 8
the justice or judge, including any political office held; 9
(B) the justice's or judge's primary practice areas before 10
appointment, including the approximate percentage of the justice's or 11
judge's pre-appointment career spent as a trial lawyer; 12
(C) the types of clients the justice or judge represented 13
before appointment [SHALL CONTAIN A BRIEF STATEMENT 14
DESCRIBING EACH PUBLIC REPRIMAND, PUBLIC CENSURE, OR 15
SUSPENSION RECEIVED BY THE JUDGE UNDER AS 22.30.011(d) 16
DURING THE PERIOD COVERED IN THE EVALUATION. A 17
STATEMENT MAY NOT EXCEED 600 WORDS]. 18