OPINION: Remembering Craig Stowers, a justice who always sought justice

“One man cannot summon the future. But one man can change the present.” — Capt. James T. Kirk and Lt. Cmdr. Spock, “Star Trek”

Alaska lost a great man a few days ago. It is challenging to put to words the impact former Alaska Supreme Court Justice Craig Stowers, who was simply “Judge” to those of us who knew and loved him, had on the young legal minds he tutored, the Alaska Court System he shepherded, and the everyday Alaskans he served.

He was conscious of the power he wielded and the responsibility of humble service that accompanied that power. He never lost sight of the impact the justice system had on ordinary Alaskans, especially the youngest ones. He had a special place in his heart for juvenile dependency, or Child in Need of Aid — “CINA” — cases. He once told me that if he could not be a father, the least he could do was give all his time and energy to discerning difficult CINA cases for the benefit of the kiddos that came before the court.

An intensely private man, he was known to many for his seriousness and occasional dry sense of humor. But in chambers, outside the public eye, his playful sarcasm shined through. He enjoyed learning about odd pop culture references and needling his clerks with a straight face that usually ended in a mischievous grin. He was proudly old-school — he never met a book he didn’t love — and he relished making hand-written edits in red ink, which only his beloved and long-suffering judicial assistant could read. He cherished his relationships with his fellow judges, his clerks and the court staff.

Next to his wife, who he openly adored, and his many cats and dogs, we — his clerks, staff and judicial colleagues — were his family. He pushed us all to be our best at all times: to approach cases and each other with intellectual rigor, respect for the rule of law, and commitment to the Alaskans we were privileged to serve. He always sought collegiality, compromise and consensus with his colleagues.

In an era of extreme partisanship and division, Stowers possessed a mind capable of persuasion. If the law called for an outcome, he was always and unequivocally brave enough to “write it as he saw it.” He trusted his clerks to ferret out the truth, but he pushed us to defend every premise upon which we rested our conclusions.

I will never forget the hours we spent going back and forth on cases, usually over weekends — the Judge was notorious for burning the midnight oil and expected the same from his team — wrestling with the law and the facts until logic compelled a single outcome. It was in these exchanges that I learned to deeply listen to “the rub”— the thing that really bothered the person posing the question.

Years later, I was fortunate enough to argue a case before the Alaska Supreme Court, with the Judge — Justice Stowers — sitting center stage. In his questions, and those of other members of the Court, I could hear “the rub” — and I couldn’t help but smile as I took a deep breath, and answered like I was back in chambers with him. It was an honor to appear before him. He taught me to be honest with the law and, by extension, he showed me, in his own quiet way, the honorable nature of the legal profession.

While every lawyer experiences burnout at times in his or her career, remembering the Judge’s pure love of the law continues to inspire me to find the joy that exists doing justice, however imperfect it can be at times. The Judge took a chance on me and many other clerks he took under his wing. Several of us appeared ill-suited on paper for a prestigious clerkship with Alaska’s highest court. But he believed in us because he saw in his clerks the values he espoused in his life: grit, hard work, and above all, intellectual curiosity.

I would be remiss if I didn’t also mention his intense love of barbecue and mastering every style of barbecue sauce, much to his clerks’ delight. You were one of a kind, Judge, and we will all miss you. Thank you for choosing us. We were privileged to serve with you.

Jessica M. Brown is an associate with the law firm Holland & Knight in Alameda, California. She served Justice Stowers as a judicial clerk from 2013-2014.

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