On Nov. 3, Alaskans will vote to either retain or remove 22 judges from across the state. This is the only time residents have any say over who sits on the bench. Unfortunately, most voters know very little of the judges before they head to the polls.
The notoriously liberal Alaska Judicial Council recommends Alaskans vote to keep all 22 judges. Their recommendation, however, does not provide any information on the backgrounds or rulings of these men and women.
In an effort to assist Alaskans in casting their votes, the Alaska Watchman has compiled background information on 12 of the 22 judges up for retention. This information comes from their applications to serve on the bench along with research into their past rulings and affiliations. There is considerably more information on some judges than others. Behind each name we include our recommendation.
SUPREME COURT JUSTICE SUSAN CARNEY (VOTE NO)
Justice Carney has been identified by Alaskans for Judicial Reform as a liberal judicial activist due to her notorious decisions to strike down several key laws that were duly passed by the Legislature and rightly signed into law by the governor.
She voted to gut a 1994 law that created a public sex offender registry, choosing to change the law from the bench by giving judges the ability to exempt offenders they deem worthy. She also joined a decision to strike down limits on the public funding of abortion, a move that her colleague Justice Craig Stowers blasted for overriding the State Legislature’s constitutional authority to enact state laws.
Additionally, Carney is under fire for upholding Gov. Bill Walker’s decision to veto nearly half of the 2016 Permanent Fund Dividend, a move that ignored the legal formula which had always established how much Alaskans are owed each year.
COURT OF APPEALS JUDGE TRACEY WOLLENBERG (VOTE NO)
Judge Wollenberg once had an internship with the ACLU in which she conducted research on reproductive rights. The ACLU is one of the leading organizations that fights against pro-life laws in Alaska and around the nation. She also worked for a group called Business & Professional People for the Public Interest (BPI), a social justice activist group that pushes for the expansion of free housing, state run daycare centers, climate change activism and civilian oversite of policing.
SUPERIOR COURT JUDGE DANI CROSBY, Anchorage (VOTE NO)
Judge Crosby recently struck down a state law which requires that all absentee ballots include the signature of one witness to help verify that the ballot was cast by the proper person. She said the longstanding law didn’t serve any meaningful purpose and should be tossed.
She also interned for the left leaning Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund. She was rejected by Gov. Sean Parnell when she applied for the Superior Court but was appointed by Gov. Bill Walker.
SUPERIOR COURT JUDGE JENNIFER STUART HENDERSON, Anchorage (VOTE NO)
Judge Henderson ruled in favor of the ACLU lawsuit against Governor Mike Dunleavy’s veto of $334,700 from the Alaska Court System after the Alaska Supreme Court ordered the state to pay that amount for publicly funded abortions. She ruled against the state’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit. By doing so, she implied that the court actually has the power to declare that the governor’s line-item veto is unconstitutional, and that the judicial branch of government actually has the power to order a restoration of funds to its own budget, an act which is constitutionally delegated only to the Legislature.
While studying at Yale Law, she was the editor of the liberal Yale Journal of Law & Feminism. Her personal references when applying for the Superior Court included Rep. Lindsey Holmes (former pro-abortion legislator) and James Torgerson (a former Bar member of the Alaska Judicial Council, and the husband of Judge Morgan Christen, the Obama-appointed judge on the 9th Circuit, who once served as a Board member for Planned Parenthood of Alaska.
SUPERIOR COURT JUDGE YVONNE LAMOUREUX, Anchorage (VOTE NO)
Judge Lamoureux is perhaps best known for being the judge who ruled against the Dunleavy Administration’s rejection of the Ballot Measure 2 initiative, which if approved by voters on Nov. 3 will completely change the way elections are conducted in Alaska. This initiative clearly violated the single-subject rule for initiatives, but Lamoureux ruled that it was fine to proceed with a complex ballot measure that would destroy the one-Alaskan, one-vote system that has governed the state since its beginning.
Lamoureux also clerked for 9th Circuit Judge Morgan Christen, an Obama appointee who was formerly on the Alaska Supreme Court and was local counsel for Planned Parenthood. Lamoureux had an internship at Feldman & Orlansky. Jeff Feldman & Susan Orlansky have long represented Planned Parenthood in various lawsuits against the state of Alaska.
SUPERIOR COURT JUDGE PAUL ROETMAN, Kotzebue (VOTE YES)
Judge Roetman is respected by conservative leaders across the state. He recently applied to fill a vacancy on the Alaska Supreme Court, but the Alaska Judicial Council refused to forward his name to the governor for consideration. A man of faith, he has a keen interest in constitutional law and is respected by his fellow judges. In his application for the Supreme Court, he notes that he is the son of Mexican-American parents who “exemplified hard work and sacrifice.” Roetman serves on the Alaska Commission on Judicial Conduct.
SUPERIOR COURT JUDGE GREGORY MILLER, Anchorage (VOTE NO)
Judge Miller also ruled against Gov. Dunleavy’s effort to create an opt-in process for union membership for state workers. He issued a restraining order against the plan.
DISTRICT COURT JUDGE DAVID WALLACE, Anchorage (VOTE YES)
Judge Wallace has served on the school board for Grace Christian School in Anchorage and has also served on the board of a Christian-based nonprofit called RightWay Automotive. That group assists those in need with auto repairs.
SUPERIOR COURT JUDGE PAMELA WASHINGTON, Anchorage (VOTE YES)
Judge Washington has served as vice chairman for the pro-life Crisis Pregnancy Center in Anchorage, which provides women with pro-life alternatives to abortion. Washington has also been a volunteer with Faith Christian Community, a faith-based outreach to inmates in Alaska.
DISTRICT COURT JUDGE LESLIE DICKSON, Anchorage (VOTE NO)
Judge Dickson has worked for the radical legal activist group ACLU on its Prisoner Assistant Project. One of her most public decisions came in 2019 when she fined Grubstake Auction owner Ron Alleva $6,500 for spreading pool cleaner on a site used by homeless people at the border of his property. Dickson also ordered Grubstake Auction, to pay a $35,000 fine. Alleva is a longtime critic of Anchorage’s failed homeless policy. He said he was trying to clean up human feces, vomit and rotting food along his property line.
DISTRICT COURT JUDGE KARI MCCREA, Anchorage (VOTE NO)
Judge McCrea served as the Fairness Diversity and Equality Committee Chair, a program of the Alaska Supreme Court which promotes diversity in its many forms. She also served as a board member for the YWCA of Alaska which partners with Planned Parenthood and LGBTQ activist groups in Alaska.
CORRECTION: Anchorage Superior Court Judge Andrew Guidi did not issue a preliminary injunction against the state’s effort to establish an opt-in system whereby state workers could proactively decide whether to join unions. This injunction was issued by Superior Court Judge Gregory Miller. We regret the error.
60 Comments
THANK YOU!!!
I didn’t see references for Judge Christina Reigh, Judge Jennifer K. wells, Judge Jonathan Woodman, Judge Dickinson, Judge Michael Franciosi, J. Patrick Hanley, or Judge Michael Logue. What are the recommendations for these judges as far as conservative vs liberal interests go ?
The judges you mention didn’t have cases we could find or background information that pertained to their suitability to sit on the bench. We were only able to put together information on 12 of the 22 judges who are up for retention.
Thanks. I will see if I can research them via the web…excluding GOOGLE, and CHROME.
If these stellar Judge’s are Voted out…they are no longer a Judge? What happens to the open cases?
Thank you for your time.
Thank you , this allowed me to compile a wonderful list to remove religious conservative judges here in Alaska.
Yeah, right Bill. You sound like a real Alaskan. Stay down there in California where you belong.
LMAO please, Alaska can take some notes from California. Being a “real Alaskan” doesn’t entail being homophobic, limiting reproductive rights, and choosing church over state. Unless you are native to this land none of you are considered real Alaskans anyway.
What about Judge Christina K. Wells, Judge Jonathan A. Woodman, Judge J. Patrick Hanley, and Judge Michael B. Logue?
I usually vote not on all of them. It seems to Make no difference. Do you have a list of recommended yes votes??
I see three in the list with a yes vote recommendation after them.
This is a ridiculous voter guide. You’re evaluating judges based on where they did their summer internships? That’s nuts! Voters can get much better and more complete facts here: http://ajc.alaska.gov/retention/current.html
If you believe anything the judicial council tells you then you are as big a fool as CNN fans.
Exactly.. No different from going to the prison to ask if there are any criminals there…
The judicial council bases their evaluations on detailed reviews of the specific judges performed by police and peace officers, social services professionals, lawyers, jurors and court employees. They aren’t just pulling this stuff out of a hat. If you don’t trust the opinions of the police and probation officers who appear before the judges, the lawyers who actually appear before the judges, and the court personnel who see the judges work on a daily basis, and the jurors who sat through trials with the judge, I’m not sure what else to tell you.
Judge Jennifer Henderson, for example, received her highest scores from police and probation officers (4.9 rating overall, with 5 the highest possible rating). http://www.ajc.state.ak.us/retention/ret20henderson.html
Take a moment to review all the evaluation materials and acquaint yourself with the judicial selection process before making such an important decision.
True
Guy Rehm
This info is too generic and doesn’t really help you make informed decisions. Watchman is a big help to conservatives.
The State Roy’s are similar to CNN reporting. A few words but no information. At least the AK watchman did some background checking. What judges did before their appointments in indicative of their positions. I don’t want a judge who makes decisions based on politics.
Judge Jennifer Wells cost the city of Kenai $32,000 for her abuse of a Native woman.
Knowing that the woman had just had a C section she ordered the police to bring her into Wells court room to be a witness against the father for domestic violence.
The police literally kicked in her door to find her in bed with the newborn on top of her and another son next to her.
They handcuffed the new mother and dragged her into Wells court. The father was found innocent.
Wells dismissed the lawsuit virtually against herself.
In another case, Wells had a mother acting pro se trying to keep her kids arrested for trespassing. In the middle of a hearing the mother was acting as her own attorney in.
Then, she refused to remove herself on her own as the judge for the trespassing case.
This woman is an amazing mix of incompetent and passive aggressive and needs to be voted out for the good of Alaska.
Go to Alaska Court Records. Search Trail courts by name for “Robin Mitchell”. Two pages of criminal convictions, small claims, protective orders and more. Ask yourself: who do you believe. A crazy internet lady or a judge that has been vetted by the community multiple times.
Criminal conviction, small claims?
Try again.
I believe anyone but you my friend, even heroine addicts….
Thanks so much, Joel!
Vote no on Guidi! For sure. Joke of a judge.
Thanks for this list; all I had to do was the opposite of what it recommends! Made voting a lot easier!
same!! haha
Same
Same! The United States is NOT a Christian Nation & Women have the right to make decisions over what is happening in their own bodies. The hypocrisy is astounding.
Then let those women pay for “THEIR OWN DECISIONS “ and not use tax payers dollars to do it, and while there at it might as well tie their tubes while their at it so they don’t have to come back for another state performed murder
Thanks guys! You made it super easy to vote the exact opposite of your recommendations.
Exactly
Please provide a complete list of judges and there record so we can vote for conservative
Alaska judges thank you
Thanks for your information!! It helped me to decide to vote for the exact opposite of your suggestions. Please keep compiling your information publicly so us liberals and democrats and continue to benefit from it.
So you don’t support judges that promote people having more of a say in elections, transparency of private donations in elections, reproductive freedom, diversity, being kind to the homeless, free housing, state run daycare centers, climate change activism, civilian oversite of policing and prison, or unions which protect workers. Thanks, all I have to do is vote the opposite of these backwards recommendations!
Reproductive freedom AKA PRO DEATH#Murderof unborn
Judges are evaluated by police and peace officers, the attorneys who appear before them, court staff and jurors. I’m not sure whose opinion I’d trust more than the APD and AST officers appearing before a judge. And one of the Alaska Judicial Council members is retired APD Detective and former Pastor David Parker. If he is on the council and voting for retention, that’s good enough for me. https://player.vimeo.com/video/285047494
This is very helpful. Some judges on the ballot for third district superior court and third district district court aren’t included. But I agree, the state judiciary site recommending them all for retention should send huge red flags for anyone.
I did some more research via Ballotpedia on all justices up for retention on 2020 Alaska Ballot. 95-98% were selected by Walker. Let that sink in. My vote to retain is “NO” on all, and “Yes” on Wallace and Washington who don’t have radical affiliations or policies. Wallace and Washington were selected by Palin and Parnell respectively. All the others constantly fight Sullivan and Conservative policies.
Moreover, most of them were placed by previous governor Walker who destroyed Alaska with radical extremist policies along with these judges up for retention. “No” on all except for Wallace and Washington. Wallace and Washington “Yes,” and the rest “No” for retention.
The biased state run judiciary evaluation board recommends retention for all judges which definitely sends up red flags when they also do not give any background or history on them.
Do your research before casting a vote to retain any of these judges. Most of them are corrupt partisan hacks that belong to the ultra liberal hierarchy.
Alaska law requires that all judges stand for retention in the first general election taking place 3 years after appointment; this is why many of the judges are Walker appointees, not because of some liberal conspiracy. Please learn more before spreading conspiracy theories based on an incomplete understanding of the process.
You can’t predict a judge’s politics based on who appointed them. President Eisenhower appointed Earl Warren, for example, who ushered in the most liberal expansion in the Supreme Court’s history. George Bush promised that David Souter would “be a home run for conservatives” when he appointed him to the bench; Justice Souter voted with the liberal majority in Planned Parenthood v. Casey (affirming Roe v. Wade) and again in Lee v. Weisman where he voted against allowing school prayer.
The Judicial Council is made up of 6 members, one of whom is retired 17-year APD Detective and Pastor Dave Parker. He was appointed by Parnell and re-appointed by Dunleavy to the Judicial Council; he isn’t some progressive leftist. Det. Parker voted YES on all the judges. That says a lot to me.
Moreover the judges on the ballot were evaluated by police officers, probation officers, court staff, jurors, and the attorneys that appeared before each judge. This is far more credible and reliable information than where someone did a summer internship 20+ years ago, or on who appointed them. I trust our police and religious leaders and if a judge is good enough for APD Det. Parker, APD and the State Troopers, they are good for Alaska.
Hogwash, and people like you are also part of the problem today with the corporate sponsored agendas and identity politics. It’s not a conspiracy theory, and with all due respect, you’ve also now lost my trust and respect because of your generalized statement which lacks integrity and character. Based on what? At what cost? Do you have any facts or empirical evidence that supports these claims? No wonder our court rooms, Justices, local DA’s and law enforcement leadership today is so corrupt and partisan political on issues. Your response is not based on facts other than information we already know. It is a biased notion that just because the establishment says so, it’s okay. Sorry, I’m not a pushover like everyone else; and I’m not going to just take any answer as a relevant or factual response. Please wake up and you start to educate yourself on what is truly going on here. It’s partisan politics — period. Most of the Walker and Frank Murkowski Justices are ultra liberals with agendas partisan socialist ties, I’ve done my research enough to know I will not vote to retain them. I’m all for law enforcement, law and order, and supporting former expertise; but I’m not falling for the generalized lies of omission and fear mongering tactics used by the establishment political hacks and corporate sellouts; both in our court rooms and our halls of government.
Yours Truly,
Treb
Hogwash, and people like you are also part of the problem today with the corporate sponsored agendas and identity politics. It’s not a conspiracy theory, and with all due respect, you’ve also now lost my trust and respect because of your generalized statement which lacks integrity and character. Based on what? At what cost? Do you have any facts or empirical evidence that supports these claims? No wonder our court rooms, Justices, local DA’s and law enforcement leadership today is so corrupt and partisan political on issues. Your response is not based on facts other than information we already know. It is a biased notion that just because the establishment says so, it’s okay. Sorry, I’m not a pushover like everyone else; and I’m not going to just take any answer as a relevant or factual response. Please wake up and you start to educate yourself on what is truly going on here. It’s partisan politics — period. Most of the Walker and Frank Murkowski Justices are ultra liberals with agendas partisan socialist ties, I’ve done my research enough to know I will not vote to retain them. I’m all for law enforcement, law and order, and supporting former expertise; but I’m not falling for the generalized lies of omission and fear mongering tactics used by the establishment political hacks and corporate sellouts; both in our court rooms and our halls of government. My statement has nothing to do with Alaska state law or prerequisites required for Justice Retention. I am simply telling it like it is, and shooting from the hip on this because it is what it is — plain and simple. And it should had never come to this but it has. We are at war in our media, academia, court rooms, halls of government, and infrastructure. If you don’t see that, then I feel sorry for you, your family, and your children.
Yours Truly and Respectfully,
Treb
Dave Parker is a retired Anchorage police officer and pastor who was appointed by Dunleavy. Yet he voted to retain. How does this fit your “biased state run judiciary evaluation” narrative?
Thank you I did pretty much the same research and came up with the same opinion. The sad thing is almost 95 % retention
Read Gladden v. Reigh Case No.: 3:19-CV-00099-MMS to cast an informed vote; All ‘black robes’ operating in the Third Judicial District have similar issues of credibility; Hence a ‘NO’ vote on all.
Thanks for the specific case information.
Wake up People as NOT one Judge or Justice as the 41 Words for an Oath of Office; and, NOT ONE has been APPOINTED by the Governor with a Civil Commission; and, The NOT one of the Judges operate in the VENUE of the “Third District” that is the Law but in the Alaska Bar Charter the faux Judges operate in “administrative districts” which is EXECUTIVE any by Adding one word to Third Judicial District. Judge White as admitted the judge are only “undersigned Jurists.” NOT one of the judges are Constitutional and as they can be sued for Clear Absence of All Jurisdiction: – See Gladden v. Reigh Case No. 3:19-cv-99 or email me at irs@alaskaminuteman.com to get the Complaint as all of the DOCUMENTS to PROVE I. All Criminal convictions are all ILLEGAL if you understand the CON. Webpage under development.
I have a case in Federal Circuit Court of Appeals – Mooney v. USA – 20-1075 with 14,000 and 7,000 words and a 998 Appendix to PROVE all of the lower Courts of the United States are also unconstitutional – email and I will give you the DOCUMENTS and you make up your own mind.
Here’s a great exercise everyone should follow. When someone posts a rant about a Judge visit https://records.courts.alaska.gov/ and type in that name. 99.9% of the time the people ranting are ranting because a judge ruled against them. In this case Mr. Winterrowd has 6 pages of records for everything from eviction to negligent driving.
This was helpful. Literally everything you said no on, I voted yes to but that’s still really helpful. We just have different views.
Awesome. Thanks for this site. When you recommend to vote YES, I vote NO
Dear Joel: You have referred to me as an “ultra-liberal judge.” I have no idea what decisions or rulings I made which the citizens of Alaska would perceive as unfair, or biased, or contrary to the law. If you could cite a few examples of my judicial record to prove I was a liberal judge it would be informative for me and your readers. Otherwise, you should admit that your description of my performance was incorrect. Good luck. Eric
Joel: I see that you haven’t offered any proof that I was a liberal judge. Please send an email that will enable me to contact you directly. There is no reason for you to be afraid of me, or the truth. Thanks, Eric
I was delighted to find your analysis, Just what I was looking for. Thank you! I’ll donate
If you don’t know anything else about a judge, look at the governor who picked them and base your decision on that!
yall are mad dumb lol. this is why I’m embarrassed to be from Alaska. catch up with the rest of the world. it’s 2020, not the 1800s, women have sovereignty over their own bodies.
thank you thank you thank you. I will vote “yes” for everyone you said “vote no” on.
Thank you for this info. Exactly what we were looking for. The AK state website goes you no insight on who these people are. We’re supportive of your suggestions and did our own research and we agree with most of what you said! Please don’t be discouraged by all these haters (liberals) who always say they want love and peace yet here they are being cruel. Funny hypocrisy isn’t it?
I had a hard time finding much information in these judges. Thanks for the cheatsheet on how to help rid our state of disgusting fundamental religious views which you folks think belong in our laws and political discourse.
“She also interned for the left leaning Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund.“
Are you kidding me? This website is not a news source and if you are getting your world information from here and your facebook feed, please do the planet a favor and stop reproducing. Enjoy the Blue Wave that comes from these policies being enforced nationally! Hope you get a black woman president soon.
Super helpful with the voting decisions! Very much appreciated by true Alaskans!
What would the vote be on judge peters, Christian and Montgomery? (Fourth judicial)
Thank you for the information. It helps me as I research my vote. Activist judges on either side of the field are not good judges. Judges should only make decision based on the law and for the benefit of the best intention of the law in order to maintain good order. I’ve known the good, the bad and the ugly. I appreciate you taking the time out to do research. Some of the negative comments here are telling. Judges aren’t supposed to have opinions or rule one way….follow and decided cases based on the law. Plain and simple. God bless.