What article and section of your state constitution detail the judicial branch?
The state of Alaska, just like other states making the United States of America, has its own constitution that governs that particular state. The law provisions, however, do not supersede federal laws. The laws governing the judiciary in the Alaska constitution are found in article IV of the constitution (University of Alaska Press, 2020). The article provides details of what constitutes the judiciary, how judges come into the office, and the process that can be followed in case they are to be removed from office. The chief justice is the head of the judiciary. Section one of article IV spells out the powers and jurisdiction of the judiciary.
Which of the five methods of selecting judges is utilized? For state-level and local-level judges?
In the state of Alaska, the judicial merit selection system of judges is the method that is used in the process of putting a judge into the office. This is normally done by the Alaska Judicial Council that is headed by the chief justice and has lawyers and non-lawyer members.
How does this process differ from the federal method of judicial selection?
The federal method of judicial selection involves the president as the nominating authority and approval by the senate. The president nominates the federal judges who are then forwarded to the senate for vetting and approval for appointment (Carpeneti & Frazer, 2018). This is different from the Alaska state process where the judicial council makes the selection, and the governor then makes the appointment.
If selected a judge from this state, how long is your term?
When selected, they are then appointed by the state governor to serve for a period of 2-3 years before they can be retained or voted out by the registered voters. To retain their offices, they are voted in or out by registered voters of the Alaska state. After the first retention election, the district judges serve a period of 4 years, superior court judge six years, the court of appeals eight years, and supreme court ten years (University of Alaska Press, 2020).
References
Carpeneti, W. L., & Frazer, B. (2018). Merit Selection of Judges in Alaska: the Judicial Council, the Independence of the Judiciary, and the Popular Will. Alaska L. Rev., 35, 205.
University of Alaska Press (Ed.). (2020). Alaska State Constitution. University of Alaska Press.