Judicial branch of government

See also:

 

Justice Center

Alaska Justice Forum articles

"Criminal Justice in the Northwest Arctic Borough" by Richard Erlich (1996).

"Case Management System Designed for the Alaska Court of Appeals" (1995).

Audiovisual products

"Piyunarquciiten Pinarqutliumakuvet: Your Rights When Charged With a Crime" (videotape). written and produced by Antonia Moras for the Alaska Court System (2001).

"Sentencing: A Delicate Balance" (videotape) written and produced by Antonia Moras for the Alaska Court System (2002).

"Two Homes..." (videotape) written and produced by Antonia Moras for the Alaska Court System (2002).

Research projects

Alaska

Alaska Court System

The Alaska Court System is highly centralized, comprising four levels of state courts organized into four judicial districts, entirely state-administered and funded. Two of these, the Alaska Supreme Court and the Superior Court, were established by the Alaska Constitution. The District Court was established by statute in 1959, the Court of Appeals in 1980. There are no separate juvenile courts in Alaska.

See Alaska court decisions and Alaska Rules of Court for Alaska court resources useful in conducting legal research.

Alaska Supreme Court

Established by the Alaska Constitution, the Alaska Supreme Court sets the rules for administration of Alaska courts and the rules of civil and criminal procedure. It has final state appellate jurisdiction in civil and criminal matters, and also hears petitions, and original applications.

Alaska Court of Appeals

Established by statute in 1980, the Court of Appeals hears appeals in criminal cases, including matters involving criminal prosecution, post-conviction relief, juvenile delinquency, extradition, habeas corpus, probation and parole, bail, and sentencing.

Superior Courts

Established by the Alaska Constitution, the Superior Court is the court of general jurisdiction. It has authority in civil and criminal matters, domestic relations matters, cases involving the property of dead or incompetent persons, cases involving mental illness commitments, and all juvenile matters.

District Courts

Established by statute in 1959, District Courts hear misdemeanor cases and cases involving the violation of local ordinances. In rural areas of the state where full-time Superior or District Court judges are not required, magistrates preside over District Court matters and may be the sole court officer in a village court location. Magistrates are appointed by the presiding judge in their judicial district and need not be lawyers.

Therapeutic courts

Judicial selection & retention

Judicial conduct

  • Alaska Commission on Judicial Conduct. Nine-member commission established by a 1968 amendment to the Alaska Constitution to address problems of judicial conduct and disability. Includes a list of formal ethics opinions.

Federal courts in Alaska

U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska

Courts of the Alaska district are located in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, Ketchikan, and Nome.

The District of Alaska is one of 15 federal judicial districts in the federal Ninth Circuit, and one of the 94 federal judicial districts in U.S. states and territories. District courts are the trial courts of the federal judicial system, and have jurisdiction to hear both civil and criminal federal cases. Each district includes a U.S. bankruptcy court.

Federal courts have limited jurisdiction (as opposed to state courts, which have general jurisdiction) and are restricted to hearing matters enumerated in the U.S. Constitution and laws enacted by Congress. Generally, federal courts hear cases in which the United States is a party; involving the U.S. Constitution or laws enacted by Congress; involving disputes between states; involving foreign diplomats; and bankruptcy cases.

U.S. Bankruptcy Court, District of Alaska

Bankruptcy courts of the Alaska district are located in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, Ketchikan, and Nome (not necessarily in the same buildings as the U.S. District Court).

National

U.S. federal courts

U.S. Supreme Court

The U.S. Supreme Court was established by Article III of the U.S. Constitution, which vested in it and in any inferior courts it establishes the judicial power of the U.S.

U.S. Courts for the Ninth Circuit

Largest of the thirteen federal court circuits, the Ninth Circuit consists of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the district and bankruptcy courts and related court units for the Districts of Alaska, Arizona, Northern California, Central California, Eastern California, Southern California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Eastern Washington, Western Washington, the U.S. Territory of Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

Other federal judicial branch agencies

  • United States Courts. Clearinghouse for information from and about the judicial branch of the U.S. Government maintained by the Adminstrative Offices of the U.S. Courts.
  • Federal Judicial Center. Conducts research and continuing education for the federal courts.
  • U.S. Sentencing Commission. An independent agency in the judicial branch of government which establishes sentencing policies and practices for the federal courts, provides training, conducts research on sentencing-related issues, and serves as an information resource for Congress, criminal justice practitioners, and the public.