ANCHORAGE – Governor Bill Walker thanked Alaska Supreme Court Chief Justice Dana Fabe Wednesday for her years of service to the state of Alaska. On Tuesday, Chief Justice Fabe announced she intends to retire in June 2016. Appointed in 1996, Chief Justice Fabe has had a long and distinguished career in Alaska’s judicial system. She is currently the most senior justice on the court, is the first woman to serve on the Alaska Supreme Court, the first Alaska Chief Justice, and is currently the third-longest serving justice in Alaska history.

“I thank Chief Justice Dana Fabe for her dedication and work in delivering justice to the people of Alaska,” said Governor Walker. “Her work on tribal court collaboration, improving the court’s handling of family law cases, and her commitment to due process and procedural fairness for all litigants who use the Alaska Court System has been invaluable to our state.”

Governor Walker noted that Chief Justice Fabe’s departure brings an opportunity to appoint another highly qualified person to the Alaska Supreme Court to serve with the other four justices, and maintain Alaska’s strong record of excellence in its judiciary.

The process for selecting Chief Justice Fabe’s replacement will involve the solicitation of applications by the Alaska Judicial Council, and an extensive review of each applicant. Upon completion of this review, the Council will then meet within 90 days of Chief Justice Fabe’s retirement date to take public testimony and to interview all of the applicants. At the conclusion of the interviews, the Council will nominate the most qualified applicants, and those names will go to Governor Walker for selection.

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