Judicial Selection Information
Alaska's constitution and laws require the governor to fill judicial vacancies by appointing from a list of applicants nominated 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.
