Voters decide which judges to retain

What do you do about judges on the ballot? If you’re like most people, the judges on the ballot are almost an afterthought. You arrive in the booth only to realize you don’t know any of them, and you’re not sure how to vote. Luckily, you can become an informed judicial retention voter with only a small amount of effort.

The Official Election Pamphlet, which will arrive in your mail in October, is the place to start. Flip to the back of that pamphlet and you will see pages about every judge standing for retention in your judicial district. One page is contributed by the judge, and the other is contributed by the Alaska Judicial Council, a non-partisan citizens’ group required by law to evaluate the performance of all judges standing for retention. The council’s evaluation focuses on the essential qualities of a good judge: integrity, professional competence, judicial temperament, and fairness. The council surveys people who regularly appear in court (such as attorneys, law enforcement officers, jurors, and social workers). The Council also surveys court employees who see judges’ performance off the bench, and reviews other information such as how often the judge’s decisions are affirmed on appeal. This information is summarized in the election pamphlet.

Feeling pressed for time? The council also is allowed by law to make recommendations to you, the voters, about whether a judge should be retained in office. The council’s recommendations appear in the Official Election Pamphlet, too. This year, the council took the rare step of recommending against the retention of one judge. The unanimous recommendation and the reasons for it, as well as the Council’s complete evaluation of the judge, are in the election pamphlet. You the voter, however, have access to all of the facts you need to make an informed vote in accordance with your belief systems.

The council consists of an equal number of lay members and lawyer members, with the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court presiding. For judges due for a retention election, the council spends a sustained amount of time reviewing surveys from multiple sources and additional information so that they can make an informed recommendation on whether the continued service of the judge is in the best interests of our state.

Every voter is given the choice to educate him or herself with facts gathered from a broad array of sources and make their own judgment. Whether you agree with the council’s recommendation is your prerogative. What our Constitution demands is that every voter exercise this right responsibly.

Feeling that you’d like to know more? Visit the council’s website at knowyouralaskajudges.org — where you can find detailed evaluation information about every judge standing for retention in November of 2014.

By taking a few moments to review information about the judges standing for retention before Nov. 4, you will enter the voting booth confident in knowing that you are an informed retention voter.

David L. Landry is an Anchorage contractor and member of “Not Politics Alaska.”