Alaska's constitution and laws require the governor to fill judicial vacancies by appointing from a list of applicants screened by the Judicial Council. The Council must present the governor with at least two choices for each vacant judgeship. This merit selection system seeks to limit judicial appointments to what one constitutional framer referred to as "the best available timber." The framers hoped to avoid the selection of judges based on political connections, ability to raise political funding, and which applicants could campaign the best or promise the most favors for particular interest groups.

	Current Judicial Vacancies
	Alaska Judicial Applicant Guidelines
	Current Judicial Application Forms
	Current Judicial Application Form which can be filled in on the Internet
	Historical Log of Judicial Appointments
	Judicial Selection Procedures
	Constitutional and Statutory Provisions concerning Judicial Selection
	Excerpts from Alaska's Constitutional Convention Minutes