Alaska Court Information

There are 3 tiers in the system of the Alaska court. First there is the District Court, then there is the Court of Appeals, and finally there is the Supreme Court. There are also Superior Courts assigned to each district.

Here are the courts in Alaska:

•    Alaska Supreme Court
•    Alaska Court of Appeals
•    Alaska Superior Court (40 judges in 4 districts)
•    Alaska District Court (21 judgeships)

Alaska Supreme Court

This is the highest judicial body in the Alaska court organization. At the top there is a Chief Justice who is helped by 4 associate justices. They are all appointed by the state Governor. They have to face elections and are responsible to select a person to serve as the Chief Justice for 3 years.

What the Supreme Court in the state decides is binding on all courts in the state, and it is only the Supreme Court of the U.S. that can change all such decisions made.

The Supreme Court in Alaska hears all appeals that come from lower courts of the state and also administers the judicial system of the state. The court listens to cases every month in Anchorage, and it also hears cases every quarter at Juneau and Fairbanks. The court can also have sessions in other communities of the state depending on need. Actually, the attempt is to hear the oral argument at the city in which the case came up in a trial court.

In the court system here, it is the Supreme Court that sets up the rules for administrating of courts in Alaska and also for the procedures and practices in all criminal and civil cases. The court has also set the laws for practicing law and procedural rules concerning probate, children's matters, as well as for appeals. The legislature can change these regulations, but for this a majority of two-thirds majority from both houses is needed.

The Alaska Supreme Court’s website is http://www.appellate.courts.state.ak.us.

Alaska Court of Appeals

The Alaska appeals court is an intermediary appeals court in Alaska. It came into being in 1980 when the state legislature felt the need for an additional appellate court as the Supreme Court was burdened by too much work.

There is a Chief Judge and there are two associate judges, and they are all appointed by the Governor of Alaska. They need to be re-elected every 8 years.

The appeals court hears oral argument from lower state trial courts in Anchorage. This court has the necessary jurisdiction to listen to appeals in cases of criminal nature and also for some cases of quasi-criminal nature where the accused person is still a minor. It may also hear cases where an imprisonment sentence's legality has been challenged, as well as cases of parole and probation.

The website of the appeals court is http://www.appellate.courts.state.ak.us.

Alaska District Court

This is a trial court that has limited jurisdiction. There are 21 judges serving here. The court hears all state misdemeanor cases and cases regarding violations of city and borough ordinances. The court also issues summonses, arrest warrants and search warrants. The District Court is in charge of hearing civil cases up to $100,000 and small claims cases of up to $10,000. Domestic violence cases and those involving children fall under its jurisdiction too. The District Court is also responsible for maintaining the vital statistics.