ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) — For the first time in state history, the Alaska Supreme Court will be majority women, following the announced retirement of Chief Justice Peter Maassen.
Maassen said he will step aside in 2025 as he approached the mandatory retirement age of 70 for Alaska judges.
The seven attorneys who applied to the judicial council for the Supreme Court position are all women, meaning that if things play out as expected, three of the five justices will be women.
From the list of applicants, five practice law in Anchorage, the other two practice in Fairbanks.
Whoever is eventually appointed will be only the fifth woman to serve on the Supreme Court. Out of Alaska’s 27 current and former Supreme Court justices, only four have been women.
The process for selecting the next Supreme Court justice will start with the seven-person Alaska Judicial Council, which is made up of the chief justice, three non-attorneys, and three practicing attorneys.
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