The Alaska Judicial Council heard public comment Tuesday that members should ignore results from a recent poll ranking Alaska Supreme Court justice nominees, while others suggested the poll should hold greater weight.<\/p>\n
Five Alaska residents in total spoke during the public comment portion of a two-day process to decide who will fill Alaska Supreme Court Justice Dana Fabe\u2019s vacancy. Gov. Tony Knowles appointed Fabe to the high court in 1996 and she plans to step down in June.<\/p>\n
Licensed Alaska attorneys ranked eight candidates for the position earlier this year during an anonymous survey.<\/p>\n
David Landry, a contractor out of Anchorage, said he is concerned the state\u2019s highest bench will become even less a reflection of the state\u2019s population when the only woman steps down. If the council takes the poll results seriously, the highest scorer \u2014 a woman \u00ad\u2014 should be selected, Landry said.<\/p>\n
\u201c(Justice Fabe is) a visible minority on the bench,\u201d Landry said. \u201cI would urge (the council) to consider trying to diversify the makeup or continue some diversity in the makeup of the Supreme Court.\u201d<\/p>\n
Applicants for the Alaska Supreme Court vacancy, followed by their overall rating from the Alaska Bar Association poll (on a 1-5 scale, with a higher number indicating greater success) are:<\/p>\n
\u2022 Susan M. Carney, 4.5,<\/p>\n
\u2022 Andrew Guidi, 4.3,<\/p>\n
\u2022 Philip Pallenberg, 4.2,<\/p>\n
\u2022 Jahna Lindemuth, 4.1,<\/p>\n
\u2022 Ruth Botstein, 3.8,<\/p>\n
\u2022 David Avraham Voluck, 3.3,<\/p>\n
\u2022 Paul A. Roetman, 3.2,<\/p>\n
\u2022 Kevin G. Clarkson, 2.7.<\/p>\n
This is Juneau Superior Court Judge Pallenberg\u2019s second attempt at a spot on the state\u2019s highest bench. He previously applied in 2012, when Chief Justice Walter Carpeneti announced his retirement.<\/p>\n
Pallenberg is the only applicant for the post in Juneau.<\/p>\n
Anchorage-based attorney Matthew Peterson said the bar poll results are not a proper reflection of each candidates\u2019 skills and abilities. Peterson spoke Tuesday in favor of his colleague Clarkson who scored the lowest in the survey.<\/p>\n
The poll results, gathered by the University of Alaska Anchorage\u2019s Center for Behavioral Health Research and Services, are based solely on the opinions of attorneys who have some direct professional experience with the applicants. Each applicant had a varying amount of surveys filled out on their behalf, ranging from 54 to 291.<\/p>\n
A second Anchorage attorney spoke in favor of Clarkson, touting his colleague\u2019s \u201cselfless dedication of time\u201d during volunteer work.<\/p>\n
Candidates Guidi and Carney also had speakers on their behalf, and only one caller spoke to deter the court from an applicant.<\/p>\n
Heidi Horner-Raffaele told council members her experiences with David Avraham Voluck, a tribal judge with the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Tribes of Alaska, left her certain he was unfit to fill the vacancy.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was anything but easy to work with,\u201d Horner-Raffaele recalled from her time as a witness in his court. She said she has experience in the court as a guardian ad litem \u2014 a person asked to discuss the best interest of a child in certain proceedings \u2014 and has seen Voluck act \u201cdisrespectful\u201d toward families in the courtroom.<\/p>\n
The seven-member council heard each public testimony without asking follow-up questions. The group privately interviewed candidates Botstein, Carney and Clarkson on Tuesday. Private interviews for Guidi, Roetman, Pallenberg, Voluck and Lindemuth are scheduled for 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. today. A public interview with all of the candidates will take place at 1:15-3:30 p.m. today.<\/p>\n
The council will privately deliberate the candidates at 3:30 p.m. today, followed by a public vote. All proceedings will take place at the Boney Courthouse, Supreme Court Conference Room, 303 K Street in Anchorage. For information about participating telephonically during public sessions, call 279-2526, ext. 0. For more information about applicants, visit www.ajc.state.ak.us.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Contact reporter Paula Ann Solis at 523-2272 or paula.solis@juneauempire.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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