Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy has named Kristie Babcock of Soldotna to a vacancy on the Alaska Judicial Council, the board that nominates state judges for vacancies.
Babcock, spouse of former Dunleavy chief of staff Tuckerman Babcock, will replace Loretta Bullard of Nome when Bullard’s term ends March 1.
Kristie Babcock was an early supporter of the governor, serving as a co-chair of his election campaign and a member of his transition team after his election in 2018.
If confirmed by the Alaska Legislature, Babcock would serve a six-year term expiring in 2027.
The judicial council includes three public members appointed by the governor and three lawyers selected by the Alaska Bar Association. The chief justice of the Alaska Supreme Court is the council’s chairman and votes only if needed to break a tie.
If a state judicial vacancy opens, the council accepts nominees, interviews applicants, and forwards a short list of nominees to the governor, who makes the final selection.
When Babcock is seated, Dunleavy will have selected two of the council’s three public members. The third’s term does not expire until 2023. All three public members are from southcentral Alaska, a first since statehood, according to a roster of past members.