Alaska judicial elections, 2016
Three seats on Alaska's state-level courts were up for retention elections on November 8, 2016. Two justices on the Alaska Supreme Court joined one judge on the Alaska Court of Appeals in seeking retention to their appointed seats. Justice Joel Bolger and Justice Peter J. Maassen faced retention elections after their appointments to the supreme court in 2012 and 2013, respectively. If retained, a supreme court justice serves for 10 years prior to the next retention election.
Judge Marjorie Allard was seeking retention following appointment to the appeals court in 2012. If retained, an appeals court judge serves for eight years prior to the next retention election.
Three out of four judges whose terms were set to expire in February 2017 filed to stand in the election. Judge Douglas Kossler did not file to stand for retention.[1]
Judges who faced retention
Supreme Court
■ Joel Bolger
■ Peter J. Maassen
Court of Appeals
■ Marjorie Allard
■ Judge Douglas Kossler did not file to stand for retention in 2016, even though his term was set to expire in February 2017.[1][2]
Election results
Joel Bolger was retained in the Alaska Supreme Court, Bolger's seat election with 57.87% of the vote.
| Alaska Supreme Court, Bolger's seat, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Yes votes | |
 Joel Bolger | 57.87% | |
| Source: Alaska 2016 General Election, Official Results | ||
Peter J. Maassen was retained in the Alaska Supreme Court, Maassen's seat election with 57.47% of the vote.
| Alaska Supreme Court, Maassen's seat, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Yes votes | |
| Peter J. Maassen | 57.47% | |
| Source: Alaska 2016 General Election, Official Results | ||
Marjorie Allard was retained in the Alaska Court of Appeals, Allard's seat election with 62.21% of the vote.
| Alaska Court of Appeals, Allard's seat, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Yes votes | |
| Marjorie Allard | 62.21% | |
| Source: Alaska 2016 General Election, Official Results | ||
Selection
- See also: Judicial selection in Alaska
Judges in Alaska face retention elections. In these elections, judges do not compete against another candidate, but voters are given a "yes" or "no" choice whether to keep the judge in office for another term. The judge must receive a majority of "yes" votes to remain in office. Judges must face their first retention at the next general election occurring at least three years after their appointments. The exceptions to this are the district court judges, who face retention two years after their appointments.[3]
At least 60 days prior to the election, the Alaska Judicial Council publishes its evaluations of the judges up for retention.[4][5][6][7]
State profile
| Demographic data for Alaska | ||
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 737,709 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 570,641 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 66% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 3.4% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 5.9% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 13.8% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 1.2% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 8.4% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 6.5% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 92.1% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 28% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $72,515 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 11.3% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Alaska. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
- See also: Presidential voting trends in Alaska
Alaska voted Republican in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
More Alaska coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in Alaska
- United States congressional delegations from Alaska
- Public policy in Alaska
- Endorsers in Alaska
- Alaska fact checks
- More...
Recent news
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See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 State of Alaska Division of Elections, "November 8, 2016 General Election Candidate List," accessed August 5, 2016
- ↑ Alaska Judicial Council, "Current Judges," accessed August 5, 2016
- ↑ FindLaw - Alaska Statutes, "Chapter 15.35, Article 3," accessed June 18, 2014
- ↑ FindLaw, "Alaska Stat. § 22.05.100.," accessed June 18, 2014
- ↑ FindLaw, "Alaska Stat. § 22.07.060.," accessed June 18, 2014
- ↑ FindLaw, "Alaska Stat. § 22.10.150.," accessed June 18, 2014
- ↑ FindLaw, "Alaska Stat. § 22.15.195.," accessed June 18, 2014
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Federal courts:
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: District of Alaska • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: District of Alaska
State courts:
Alaska Supreme Court • Alaska Court of Appeals • Alaska Superior Court • Alaska District Court
State resources:
Courts in Alaska • Alaska judicial elections • Judicial selection in Alaska