Three attorneys have applied to the Alaska Judicial Council for a position on the Bethel District Court and six attorneys have applied for a position on the Anchorage Superior Court. Applicants for the judgeships will be evaluated by the Council’s seven members (the chief justice, three non-attorney members, and three attorney members).
Comprehensive background investigations, a survey of Alaska Bar members, and personal interviews with the applicants are all part of the evaluations, according to the Council’s Executive Director, Susanne Di Pietro. Interviews with applicants and public hearings will be held in May of 2025.
The Council will nominate two or more applicants for each vacancy to send to the governor, after which the governor will have 45 days to make appointments from the Council’s lists of nominees.
The applicants for the Bethel District Court are:
Joy Anderson: Ms. Anderson has been an Alaska resident for 11 years and has been practicing law for 12 years. She graduated from Vanderbilt University Law School in 2011 and is currently a co-director of the community justice worker resource center at Alaska Legal Services in Bethel.
Colleen Baxter: Magistrate Judge Baxter has been an Alaska resident for 55 years and has been practicing law for 27 years. She graduated from Temple University Beasley School of Law in 1996 and is currently a magistrate judge in Kotzebue.
Matthew W. Faulks: Mr. Faulks has been an Alaska resident for 4½ years and has been practicing law for 23½ years. He graduated from the University of Idaho, College of Law in 2000 and is currently an assistant public advocate in Bethel.
The applicants for the Anchorage Superior Court are:
Marika Athens, Kate Demarest, Kari Lyn McCrea, Patrick J. McKay, Jr., Danee Lynn Pontious, and William A. Taylor.
PUBLIC COMMENT ON THE QUALIFICATIONS OF THESE APPLICANTS IS ENCOURAGED DURING THE EVALUATION PHASE OF THE COUNCIL’S WORK. TO COMMENT, OR FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT SUSANNE DIPIETRO, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ALASKA JUDICIAL COUNCIL, 510 L STREET, SUITE 450, ANCHORAGE, ALASKA 99501-1295, (907) 279-2526.
