Alaska bill would change judicial selection system | National Government and Political News

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – A bill would turn Alaska’s longstanding judge selection system on its head, allowing the governor to make direct appointments at two levels of state justice.

Republican Senator Mike Shower’s bill is part of Conservative efforts to reshape the state’s electoral system, the Anchorage Daily News reported Wednesday.

Under the Alaskan system, the governor must appoint judges from a list of qualified applicants submitted by the Alaska Judicial Council, which consists of three community members and three attorneys selected by the Alaska Bar Association. The Chief Justice of the Alaska Supreme Court has a landmark vote.

Voters incriminate the judges every few years with deductible elections.

The proposed law would change the way judges are selected only for the district court system, which largely deals with offenses, and the appeals court, which handles appeals for criminal cases.

The move would not change choices for the Supreme Court, where most of the criminal and civil trials take place, and the Alaska Supreme Court. Changes to these courts would require an amendment to the Alaskan Constitution.

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