Susan Carney to be next chief justice of Alaska Supreme Court

The Alaska Supreme Court has selected Susan Carney as its new chief justice.

Carney will take over as the court’s administrative head in January, when current Chief Justice Peter Maassen retires, officials with the Alaska Court System said in a prepared statement Monday. The Alaska Constitution requires the five justices of the court to select their new leader by majority vote.

Carney was appointed to Alaska’s highest court by Gov. Bill Walker in 2016. Raised in Worcester, Massachusetts, she earned undergraduate and law degrees at Harvard and traveled to Alaska first as a law clerk, according to her court system biography. She worked at the Alaska Public Defender Agency and the Office of Public Advocacy for nearly 30 years before being appointed to the Alaska Supreme Court. She lives in Fairbanks.

In 2020, Carney faced a campaign to oust her from her judicial seat by conservative groups who disagreed with her legal opinions on issues such as abortion. Voters retained Carney in that election.

The chief justice serves as administrative head of the state’s judicial branch of government, presides over Supreme Court arguments and conferences, appoints presiding judges for Alaska’s four judicial districts, and serves as the chair of the Alaska Judicial Council.