On Wednesday, Governor Sean Parnell announced his decision to appoint Dwayne McConnell to the Bethel Superior Court,

McConnel has been in several areas of the state as a prosecutor, McConnell has been in Kodiak, Kenai, Juneau, Anchorage, Palmer and Bethel.He has been in Alaska for 29 years practicing law, he has practiced for 31 years.

When he was tapped for the Bethel position, he was working as the Alaska Department of Law’s Assistant Attorney General. Before that position, McConnell was the supervising Attorney of the state’s Rural Prosecution Unit.

At Southwest Missouri State University, McConnell earned a Bachelors Degree before moving on to the University of Missouri-Kansas City, where he earned his Law Degree in 1975.

“Dwayne’s experience, particularly in small communities across rural Alaska, has prepared him well for this assignment,” Governor Parnell said. “Alaska’s court system, and the residents of the Yukon-Kuskokwim region, will be well-served by his legal skills.”

As a Superior Court Judge, McConnell will hear both criminal and civil cases, and act as an appellate Court for cases that come out of District Court.