Gov. Mike Dunleavy today announced the appointment of Jennifer Stuart Henderson to the Alaska Supreme Court. Judge Henderson was selected from a group of individuals nominated by the Alaska Judicial Council to fill the seat of retiring Chief Justice Joel Bolger.
Judge Henderson has been an Alaska resident for 18 years, and has practiced law for 18 years. She graduated from Yale Law School in 2001 and is currently a superior court judge in Anchorage.
Earlier, the governor had written to the Alaska Judicial Council and asked if they had any other names than the three they had sent. And he remarked that they had ignored a rural applicant from Kotzebue, Judge Paul Roetman. Although the governor did not include any reference to that letter to the council, it appears that he was unable to persuade the majority of the members to provide him with other names.
In Alaska, the governor must choose a justice from a list provided by the Judicial Council, which is largely controlled by the Alaska Bar Association.
