Judge William Estelle is a man of honesty, integrity

To the editor:

Recently, articles were published against Judge William Estelle, in which several false accusations were made. This statement is to help inform you of the accurate facts.

Judge Estelle has served this community on the bench for 11 years. During that time, he has handled 66,000 cases. In the past couple of years, there were two cases in which he inadvertently signed pay affidavits without realizing that the cases were overdue. His judicial assistant testified under oath that he would not have signed these pay affidavits had he realized the cases were overdue.

Judge Estelle has received good reviews from attorneys, jurors, court personnel, and the Alaska Judicial Observers. Judge Estelle also self-reported these cases when he realized a mistake had been made; all facts that the Judicial Council omitted from its press release.

The Alaska Commission on Judicial Conduct, after a two-day hearing, found that Judge Estelle is “precise and thorough in his legal work and has a good legal mind,” “had no selfish or dishonest motive” when he signed the pay affidavits, and “did not act intentionally.” Furthermore, the commission, which has the authority to recommend that he be removed from office, did not do so, but instead found Judge Estelle to have “excellent character and an excellent reputation.”

The commission found that Judge Estelle provided “full and free disclosure to the Commission and brought a cooperative attitude towards the Commission’s proceeding” and was “remorseful regarding his conduct in this matter.”

Additionally, Superior Court Judge Gregory Heath stated in a deposition testimony that Estelle is “a very compassionate guy…willing to give to give of himself to the community”, and “his work with the mentally ill has just been fantastic.”

Judge Court Judge Vanessa White stated in her deposition that he “is extremely intelligent,” “is a good judge,” “is conscientious”, and “really cares about the litigants.”

Judge Estelle’s veracity and character have proven to be honorable. Overlooking two cases in his office administration over the course of 11 years, mistakes that Judge Estelle took responsibility for, does not justify recommending a removal from office. Let’s stand up against corruption and falsehood, and stand with those, like Judge Estelle, who are upright and honest. He deserves to continue serving this community for good — and for those that have falsely accused him, to apologize to him and vote to retain him.

Thank you for reading this statement.

Jeanette Hall

Palmer