JUNEAU -- The Alaska Judicial Council has recommended four finalists for the vacancy on the Alaska Supreme Court.
The Juneau Empire reports Gov. Bill Walker has 45 days to decide who will replace Justice Dana Fabe, who announced plans to retire last year.
"I appreciate the work done by members of the Alaska Judicial Council, and look forward to thoroughly reviewing each of the supreme court nominees they have put forward," Walker said in a statement.
Office of Public Advocacy attorney Susan Carney, of Fairbanks, Anchorage private practice attorney Jahna Lindemuth, Anchorage Superior Court Judge Andrew Guidi and Juneau Superior Court Judge Philip Pallenberg were announced as the finalists Friday.
Alaska Supreme Court Chief Justice Craig Stowers said that compared to the turmoil surrounding the vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court, Alaska's process, which is based on merit, is calm.
"On the federal level, that's a highly politicized process," Stowers said. "In Alaska, happily, we have an entirely different process that was created through the brilliance and the foresight of the delegates to the Alaska Constitutional Convention."
Former Judicial Council member Julie Willoughby, a Juneau attorney, said the merit-based process keeps judicial selection simple by not involving ideological or political ideals.
"It's apolitical, and it is a comparative merit-based process, and I absolutely believe that it functions as designed and that it's a fantastically good system," she said.