Alaska Court System

Nenana District Court Click on the picture to learn more.

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. For information about tribal courts, which are not part of the Alaska Court System, see Alaska Natives & the courts.

See also:
Courts > Alaska judicial selection & retention

Courts > Rules of court for courts in Alaska

Legal research > Alaska court decisions
Alaska Natives > Alaska Natives & the courts

Alaska Court System
Links to recent appellate court decisions (slip opinions), Alaska Rules of Court, Alaska Court System press releases, and other resources maintained by the staff of the Alaska Court Libraries, including court rules and slip opinions. See Alaska court decisions and Alaska Rules of Court for Alaska court resources useful in conducting legal research.

• Alaska Court System Information. Anchorage: Alaska Court System, Jan 7, 2000. Structure and description of components of the Alaska Court System, judicial process, and judges and other court system personnel.
• Alaska Court Libraries. Hours and locations.
• Alaska Court Locations. Map.

Statutory authority

• Alaska Statutes, Title 22: Judiciary. Alaska Statutes (as of 2000) governing the court system, court employees, and the Commission on Judicial Conduct. Click on the + sign to expand the table of contents.

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

• See also Alaska court decisions: Alaska Supreme Court for Alaska Supreme Court opinions from 1991.
• Alaska Court System Information: The Supreme Court. Supreme Court jurisdiction and justices.
• Appellate Sentence Review in Alaska. Anchorage: Alaska Judicial Council, January 1991; also published as an Alaska Law Review article, December 1990. A historical analysis of appellate sentence review in Alaska, and analysis of current benchmarks and guidelines for sentencing established by the appellate courts.

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.

• See also Alaska court decisions: Alaska Court of Appeals for Court of Appeals opinions from 1991.
• Alaska Court System Information: The Court of Appeals. Court of Appeals jurisdiction and judges.
• Appellate Sentence Review in Alaska. Anchorage: Alaska Judicial Council, January 1991; also published as an Alaska Law Review article, December 1990. A historical analysis of appellate sentence review in Alaska, and analysis of current benchmarks and guidelines for sentencing established by the appellate courts.
• Internet Access to Appellate Case Data. Anchorage: Alaska Judicial Council, March 1999.

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.

• See also Alaska court decisions: Trial courts for selected Superior Court decisions.
• Alaska Court System Information: The Superior Court. Superior Court jurisdiction and judges.

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.

• See also Alaska court decisions: Trial courts for selected District Court decisions.
• Alaska Court System Information: The District Court. District Court jurisdiction and judges.
• Alaska Court System Information: Magistrates. Magistrate jurisdiction.

Therapeutic courts
The Alaska Court System has established several special therapeutic courts, including felony drug courts, a felony DWI court, a wellness court, and a mental health court.

• "Alaska Therapeutic Court Projects." Alaska Justice Forum 18(4), Winter 2002.
• See also Mental health courts.
• See also Therapeutic justice & problem-solving courts.

Judicial selection & retention

• See Alaska 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.

Citizen court watch

• CourtWatch. Sponsored by Victims for Justice as part of an effort to improve the Alaska criminal justice system, CourtWatch relies on volunteer members of the public to observe court proceedings and evaluate the performance of judges. CourtWatch evaluations are one

Justice Center articles & reports
(in reverse chronological order)

• Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage. (Fall 2007). "Therapeutic Courts and Recidivism." Alaska Justice Forum 24(3): 2.
• Alteneder, Katherine. (Summer 2007). "Literacy and the Courts." Alaska Justice Forum 24(2): 1, 5-8.
• Carns, Teresa W. (Spring 2005). "Therapeutic Justice in Action: An Evaluation of Three Therapeutic Courts." Alaska Justice Forum 22(1): 2-6.
• Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage. (Spring 2005). "Reports and Websites Relevant to Therapeutic Courts in Alaska." Alaska Justice Forum 22(1): 2.
• Moras, Antonia. (Fall 2004). "A Look at Judicial Selection in Alaska." Alaska Justice Forum 21(3): 1, 7-9.
• Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage. (Fall 2004). "Judicial Selection in the U.S." Alaska Justice Forum 21(3): 10-12.
• Carns, Teresa W. (Fall 2004). "Civil Cases in Alaska: 1999-2000." Alaska Justice Forum 21(3): 3-4.
• Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage. (Fall 2004). "Civil Trial Outcomes in 2001." Alaska Justice Forum 21(3): 2.
• "The Felony Case Process in Alaska: The Judicial Council Analysis" by Antonia Moras. Alaska Justice Forum 20(4), Winter 2004.
• "Criminal Justice in the Northwest Arctic Borough": by Richard Erlich. Alaska Justice Forum 13(3), Fall 1996.
• "Case Management System Designed for the Alaska Court of Appeals". Alaska Justice Forum 12(1), Spring 1995.
• "Coordinating Criminal Justice Computer Information Systems" by Teresa W. Carns. Alaska Justice Forum 11(1), Spring 1994.
• Rieger, Lisa. (Winter 1992). "Sentencing Commission Releases Second Annual Report." Alaska Justice Forum 8(4): 8-9.

Justice Center projects

• Yup'ik Arraignment Video (project)
• Short Video for Judges to Use to Educate the Public About the Third Branch (project)

Justice Center audiovisual products

Moras, Antonia, producer. (2001). "Piyunarquciiten Pinarqutliumakuvet: Your Rights When Charged With a Crime" (videotape). Produced for the Alaska Court System. Anchorage, AK: Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage. 15 mins., VHS. Available from Alaska Court System.

Moras, Antonia, writer and producer. (2002). "Sentencing: A Delicate Balance" (videotape). Produced for the Alaska Court System. Anchorage, AK: Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage. 20 mins., VHS. Available from Alaska Court System.

Moras, Antonia, writer and producer. (2002). "Two Homes..." (videotape). Produced for the Alaska Court System. Anchorage, AK: Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage. 23 mins., VHS. Available from Alaska Court System.