Supreme Court of Alaska
| Alaska Supreme Court | |
|---|---|
| Country | Alaska  , United States 
|
| Location |
Anchorage Fairbanks Juneau |
| Composition method | Missouri plan with retention elections |
| Authorized by | Alaska State Constitution |
| Decisions are appealed to | Supreme Court of the United States |
| Judge term length | 10 years |
| No. of positions | 5 |
| Website | Official site |
| Chief Justice | |
| Currently | Craig Stowers |
| Since | July 1, 2015 |
The Alaska Supreme Court is the state supreme court in the State of Alaska's judiciary (the Alaska Court System).
The decisions of the Alaska Supreme Court are binding on all other Alaska state courts, and the only other courts that may reverse or modify those decisions are the United States federal courts. The Supreme Court hears appeals from lower state courts and also administers the state's judicial system.
It hears cases on a monthly basis in Anchorage, approximately quarterly in Fairbanks and Juneau, and as needed in other Alaska communities. The court prefers to hear oral arguments in the city where the case was heard in the trial court.
The Supreme Court is composed of the Chief Justice and four associate justices, who are all appointed by the governor of Alaska (see List of Governors of Alaska) and face judicial retention elections and who choose one of their own members to serve a three-year term as Chief Justice.
Justices, like other Alaska state court judges, are selected in accordance with the Missouri Plan. The governor of Alaska appoints a supreme court justice from a list of qualified candidates submitted by the Alaska Judicial Council. To be eligible for appointment, a person must be a citizen of the United States and a resident of Alaska for five years prior to appointment. A justice must be licensed to practice law in Alaska at the time of appointment and must have engaged in the active practice of law for eight years. The appointed justice must be approved by the voters on a nonpartisan ballot at the first statewide general election held more than three years after appointment; thereafter, each justice must participate in another retention election every ten years.
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