Alaska Legislature adds superior court judge to Palmer courthouse

By Corrine Smith
Alaska Beacon

What you need to know:

• Alaska lawmakers approved adding a new superior court judge in Palmer. The bill would increase the number of superior court judges statewide from 45 to 46 and now awaits Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s decision.
• Palmer’s four current superior court judges handle the highest civil and criminal caseloads in Alaska, averaging 683 cases per judge annually, about 50% above the statewide average.
• A fifth judge would reduce that average but would still leave Palmer with the state’s highest caseloads. Mat-Su’s rapid growth has increased the need for judges.

• Short on time but need the local news scoop? Get free weekly news in your inbox for Mat-Su, from Mat-Su.

The Alaska Legislature approved legislation to add a superior court judge to the state’s third judicial district. The new judge is to be based at the Palmer courthouse where the new position is intended to alleviate rising civil and criminal case workloads.

The Alaska Court System requested the legislation, House Bill 262, which would bring the total number of superior court judges from 45 to 46. Lawmakers approved the change by a combined vote of 57 to 0, with three House members absent. The bill now heads to Gov. Mike Dunleavy for consideration.  

Officials with the court system said the state needs to add a judge because the four current superior court judges in Palmer are grappling with unsustainable workloads. That judicial district has the highest numbers of civil and criminal caseloads in the state – nearly 50% higher than the statewide average, with an average of 683 cases per year. That’s an average of 13 cases per week per judge. 

Officials noted that adding a fifth judge to the Palmer courthouse would only bring average caseloads down to an estimated 546 cases per judge annually. “This would still exceed the statewide average number of cases per judge, and Palmer judges would still have the highest caseload per judge of any court in the state, but it would be a welcome and needed improvement,” said Nancy Meade, General Counsel to the Alaska Court System, in a statement requesting the bill.

The population of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough has grown 40% over the past twenty years, a major contributing factor to the rising need in legal services and case numbers at the Palmer courthouse, Meade said. In the same time period, the number of cases filed has risen by 55%.

Rep. Andrew Gray, D-Anchorage, carried the bill in the House, saying the high number of cases at the Palmer courthouse has spillover effects in Anchorage. 

“Cases in Palmer take too long to be heard. In fact, some Mat-Su residents choose to file their cases in Anchorage so that they have a chance of being heard sooner. This means that Anchorage has more cases than they would otherwise have,” he said, speaking on the House floor ahead of the vote on April 22. “We need to fix this problem, so that we can better provide basic justice to all Alaskans,” he said. 

The new judge position is estimated to cost $268,000 annually, according to a state fiscal note. 

If the bill is signed by the governor, the new judge would be selected by a nomination process, including interviews and vetting by the Alaska Judicial Council. The council puts forth two nominees and the governor has 45 days to make a selection for superior court judge. New judges serve for an initial term of three years, after which they appear before voters in a retention election where voters can weigh in on whether the judge should remain on the bench by a yes-no vote. If approved by voters, judges’ subsequent terms are six years until mandatory retirement at age 70.

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