Gov. Dunleavy appoints Fairbanks lawyer Oravec to Alaska Supreme Court

Aimee Anderson Oravec will be the newest justice on the Alaska Supreme Court, after Gov. Mike Dunleavy appointed her on Monday.

The appointment was announced on an Alaska Judicial Council social media account. The council is the body charged under the state constitution with nominating potential justices to the governor.

Oravec is the lead attorney for Doyon Utilities LLC, which is part of the regional Native corporation for the Interior. For nearly 26 years, she has both practiced law and lived in Alaska. She has worked as an employment lawyer in civil, administrative and appellate practice.

Oravec fills the seat vacated by outgoing Chief Justice Peter Maassen, who is retiring in January, on the court. The justices voted last week to make Susan Carney the next chief justice. Chief justices serve three-year terms.

Oravec’s appointment as a justice means women will be the majority of the five-member court for the first time in its history.

Oravec served on the Judicial Council for six years as an attorney member, from 2012 to 2018. The council has three attorney members chosen by the Alaska Bar Association and three public members picked by the governor. It is chaired by the chief justice of the state Supreme Court, who only votes in the case of a tie.

The other nominees were Kate Demarest and Josie Garton, who are both Anchorage residents.

Originally published by the Alaska Beacon, an independent, nonpartisan news organization that covers Alaska state government.