} Judge well waive reading an advisement and enter a not guilty plea, Robinson responded. Juneau is too large for a single state House district but too small for two complete districts, thus requiring some kind of link. .inner_percentage.Green { .top_disclaimer { The board voted on Wednesday to appeal the ruling on the East Anchorage and Skagway districts, and to defend itself in any appeals on the Mat-Su/Valdez and Hooper Bay/Bethel districts.
. Superior Court Judge Thomas Matthews in a decision made public late Monday ordered the Alaska Redistricting Board to adopt on an interim basis a map that in part pairs the Eagle River area House . [11], Since retiring from the Supreme Court in 2009, Matthews has served as a pro tem judge. .courts-header { font-size:150%;background-color:#334aab;color:white;} Alaskas 20 Senate districts are each made up of two connected House districts. display: inline-block; Thomas A. Matthews is a judge of the Alaska Third District Superior Court. text-align: center; Though Matthews word will not be the final one, it will guide future legal action. .mw-body #mw-content-text .votebox .race_header h3.votebox-header-office-name { .inner_percentage.Republican { .votebox_legend { .outer_percentage { Under court rules, the Supreme Court has until April 1 to make a decision. The candidate filing deadline for the August primary is June 1. "The state got on the ball after we filed for the TRO," he said, "and stared approving telework. } San Francisco, California 94119-3939. Unless overturned on appeal, the decision is expected to result in an East Anchorage Senate district thats more of a political tossup, instead of Republican-leaning. .mw-body #mw-content-text th.votebox-results-cell--text { text-align: left; .results_table { [1], .votebox { margin: 0px 10px; } max-width: 400px; [7][8], Several of his former law clerks eventually went on to prominence in Alaskan politics: Supreme Court Justice Craig F. Stowers,[9] Attorney General Daniel S. Sullivan,[10] and State Representative Lindsey Holmes. } Top Alaska stories delivered to your inbox every week. div.survey-scrollbox { height:400px; overflow:scroll; margin:20px; padding:10px; border:1px solid gray; } As chief justice, he also served concurrently as chairman of the Alaska Judicial Council. The District Judges are assisted by two full-time Magistrate Judges located in Anchorage and one resident part-time Magistrate Judge in Fairbanks. font-weight: 100; Metcalfe couldn't say how many state employees were still in offices as of Tuesday, but said that while the denial of a TRO is disappointing, the state has taken action to get more state employees working from home. PETITION FOR REVIEW FROM THE SUPERIOR COURT THIRD JUDICIAL DISTRICT AT ANCHORAGE THE HONORABLE THOMAS A. MATTHEWS IN THE SUPREME COURT FOR THE STATE OF ALASKA In the Matter of the 2021 ) Redistricting Cases ) (Alaska Redistricting Board/Girdwood ) Plaintiffs/East Anchorage Plaintiffs) ) ) Supreme Court No. var nTimer = setInterval(function() { .inner_percentage.Democratic { Matthews served as the 8th and 12th chief justice of the Alaska Supreme Court. He was a co-founder of Matthews & Zahare, where he worked on civil litigation from 1994 to 2018. His current term ends in 2029. .widget-row.Democratic { .percentage_number { Binkley said he agrees with Simpson and said he believes it is important for the Supreme Court to weigh in on these issues.. .panel-heading:hover { cursor: pointer;} One of the board comments that drew Matthews attention was made by board member Bethany Marcum. Metcalfe said the ASEA is going to review the order and decide what it may do next. I need to tell, because this is a Class B felony, Ms. Murphy, the maximum penalty is 10 years in jail and $100,000 fine, Matthews said. Matthews will be the assigned trial judge, and a trial date has yet to be determined. Justice Matthews was chairman of the Alaska Judicial Council from October 1987 through September 1990, and July 1997 to June 2000. ALASKA COMMUNITIES LIVED IN: Anchorage . } $('.hideResponses').hide(); On Tuesday, Superior Court Judge Thomas A. Matthews denied the request for a TRO, which is only part of the overall ASEA suit. Superior Court Judge Thomas Matthews in a decision made public late Monday ordered the Alaska Redistricting Board to adopt on an interim basis a map that in part pairs the Eagle River area House districts into a Senate district. If the board decides to make changes in the East Anchorage maps, it could affect the Senate pairings for at least four House districts, and potentially eight or more House districts. Residents of the Mat-Su and Valdez strongly opposed that choice and filed suit over it, but Matthews concluded that the board made a good-faith effort to try other approaches before going against public testimony. [2], At the time of his appointment, Matthews had practiced law for 32 years. Anchorage Superior Court Judge Thomas Matthews ruled that the board must revisit how it arrived at the maps. From a Kenai courtroom, Judge Thomas addressed the defendants attorney. Matthew Christian ALASKA RESIDENT SINCE: 2002 ALASKA COMMUNITIES LIVED IN: Fairbanks 1994 - 1998 Fairbanks 2002 - 2007 Kenai 2007 - 2013 Fairbanks 2013 to present EDUCATION: University of Minnesota B.A. Here, the discrimination was the result of procedures that are suggestive of underlying political motives and evidence a concerted effort to push a pairing through that split the Eagle River house districts into two senate districts amidst staunch pushback from a minority of Board members and the vast majority of public comment,Matthews wrote in the 171-page ruling. The appointments are for a calendar year, and incumbents are eligible for reappointment. We are all Anchorageites under Alaskas constitutional law, he said. But there are still plenty of people who aren't able to telework, so were going to continue to push for what allows them to hunker down and be away from potential pickup of the virus.". width: 50px; East Anchorage attorney Holly Wells responds to arguments put forward by Alaska Redistricting Board counsel Matt Singer (top right) about what Judge Thomas Matthews (top left) meant when he sent the board back to the drawing table to fix its unconstitutional political gerrymander. top: -1px; margin-bottom: 0px; If all 40 of Alaskas House districts had an equal share of the states population, theyd each have 18,335 residents. "The reason we went in and did that is one of our major jobs is to protect the health and safety of all our members and all Alaskans," said Jake Metcalfe, the executive director of the ASEA. if(document.getElementsByClassName("reference").length==0) if(document.getElementById('Footnotes')!==null) document.getElementById('Footnotes').parentNode.style.display = 'none'; .courts-container { background-color:#fcfcfc; width:100%; border:1px solid black;padding:5px;text-align:center;clear:both; } If the board decides to make changes in the East Anchorage maps, it could affect the Senate pairings for at least four House districts, and potentially eight or more House districts. Current Judges A - C | D - G | H - L | M - R | S - V | W - Z Rachel Ahrens - Valdez Superior Court Appointed: December 6, 2019 by Governor Michael J. Dunleavy Replaced: Daniel Schally (this was formerly a district court position) Next Retention: 2024 2019 Judicial Application Marjorie K. Allard - Court of Appeals 2023 Anchorage Daily News. padding-left: 0; } For chambers contact information, please visit the Contacts Page. $('.pastResponses').hide(); } Fourth Judicial District. A preliminary injunction is still being decided. U.S. President | } Ballotpedia features 410,037 encyclopedic articles written and curated by our professional staff of editors, writers, and researchers. .courts-container hr {background-color:#f0a236;padding-bottom:2px;}, Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals U.S. District Court: District of Alaska U.S. Bankruptcy Court: District of Alaska, Alaska Supreme Court Murphy remained silent during the hearing and was released on her own recognizance and will be required to stay in contact with her attorney. .results_row.winner { The plaintiffs, represented by attorney Holly Wells, are asking for the two Eagle River districts to be joined instead. overflow: hidden; ALASKA COMMUNITIES LIVED IN: Anchorage . $('.pastResponses').show(); Anchorage Superior Court Judge Thomas Matthews ruled that the board must revisit how it arrived at the maps. Box 193939. } The redistricting boards map of state House districts puts Valdez into a broad House district that stretches west along the Glenn Highway to the suburbs of Palmer and Wasilla. March, 2018 (3) April, 2018 (1) .clearfix { [1], Matthews attended the College of Marin from 1976 to 1977. Please, City elections in Anchorage, Alaska (2022), https://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php?title=Thomas_A._Matthews&oldid=8899581, Alaska Third District Superior Court candidate, 2022, Alaska superior court judges, Third District, Conflicts in school board elections, 2021-2022, Environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) policy, Special Congressional elections (2023-2024), 2022 Congressional Competitiveness Report, State Executive Competitiveness Report, 2022, State Legislative Competitiveness Report, 2022, Partisanship in 2022 United States local elections. .votebox-results-cell--x { height: 22px; overflow-y: auto; color: #888; While each board member is an Alaskan with knowledge about the state and its regions in their own right, Matthews said, that fact does not give the board the discretion to make decisions based on personal preference when that preference is directly contrary to the overwhelming majority of public testimony.. Various factors, including the requirements of the state constitution, mean that districts vary in population. padding-left: 16px; This is an arraignment. In his decision, Matthews found that the board violated the state Open Meetings Act by apparently holding discussions in private that should have been in public and failing to adequately explain why it was meeting in private. max-width: 600px; }, See also: City elections in Anchorage, Alaska (2022). 1978), an attorney in private practice.[1][2]. }) The TRO was the first step in the ASEA suit. float: left; width: 57%; font-weight: bold; "Judge Matthews recognized that government power regarding how to address the COVID-19 pandemic, while continuing to maintain essential state services, is entrusted to the Governor and not the. Bill Walker (I) on July 20, 2018, to replace John Suddock. .results_table_container { I think that in both instances, the superior courts opinion departs from established precedent to the extent that we really owe it to the people of Alaska to take this up to the Supreme Court and get a definitive ruling on the superior courts judgment, Simpson said. The board then went back to work. The Supreme Court in March found constitutional issues with elements of a map drawn by the board last fall. Email the Webmaster, Notice Pursuant to Alaska Statute 45.50.577. Though the plaintiffs had different arguments, most criticized the boards process, accusing board members of taking action in executive session and collecting secret information by text message and email. Five of the seven most overpopulated districts are in Mat-Su. width: 100%; width: 50%; Andrew Kitchenman, Alaska Public Media & KTOO - Juneau, Senate districts for Eagle River and East Anchorage, Southeast Alaska House district that includes Skagway, Hooper Bay and Bethel in separate House districts, Juneau community mourns missing and murdered Indigenous people: One of our strengths is our voices, Whittier officials say fuel dock operational after closing due to 4th of July fire, 2 Anchorage Assembly members want to encourage more affordable housing with a dramatic zoning rewrite, Troopers identify Yukon River body as missing Marshall woman. .results_row { He served as Chief Justice from October 1987 to September 1990, and July 1997 to June 2000. .results_text { padding-top: 3px; determine control of the state House and Senate. The Matanuska-Susitna Borough sued on related grounds, saying that the inclusion of Valdez contributes to overpopulated House districts in the Mat-Su. } In a trial that lasted two weeks, attorneys representing the plaintiffs attempted to argue that the boards five members violated state law and the constitution. MGO 21-20 Appointment of Matthew M. Scoble Chief Magistrate Judge . The Binkleys are not involved in news coverage.). In an interview this week, Chief Justice Daniel Winfree said the court already has a tentative calendar set for what we need to do if a redistricting appeal comes up.. Valdezs solution, Singer said negatively, is to blow up half the states socio-economic integration.. width: 100%; background-color: green; } max-width: 75px; .large-date { text-align: center; margin-top: 30px; margin-bottom: 20px; font-size: 20px; font-weight: 600;} } Superior Court Judge Third Judicial District - Anchorage . Attorneys for the Girdwood area plaintiffs had argued there was substantial public testimony against pairing part of the Eagle River area with South Anchorage, Girdwood and Whittier. Counties | ASEA, which wants all non-essential employees unable to work remotely to be sent home, filed its motion for a temporary restraining order last week in the hopes of increasing protections for state employees from the impacts of COVID-19. [1], Matthews wrote the 41 majority opinion in the 1981 Supreme Court case of Nix v. Alaska, in which he ruled that an undercover police officer gaining access to a residence was not a violation of the Fourth Amendment prohibition against unreasonable searches and seizures, stating, "the use of undercover police agents 'is a highly necessary tool in fighting crime. Thomas A. Matthews is a judge of the Alaska Third District Superior Court. background-color: #003388; To back her accusations of unfair treatment, Stone referenced text messages between board member Nicole Borromeo and an attorney representing Doyon. line-height: 1.5em; In-person grand jury proceedings are suspended through Feb. 1, 2021, and in-person civil jury trials are suspended through Sept. 7, 2021, according to the order. Ballotpedia features 410,037 encyclopedic articles written and curated by our professional staff of editors, writers, and researchers. While the court does not make this finding lightly, it does find evidence of secretive procedures evident in the boards consideration and deliberation of the Anchorage Senate seat pairings, the judge wrote. In north Anchorage, Republican incumbent Rep. David Nelson has been put into a district whose voters leaned toward President Joe Biden. While he stopped short of finding that the board reached a consensus in private, Matthews wrote that he saw ample evidence of secretive process at play. font-size: 0.9em; He served on the 5-judge court since 1977 and retired on April 5, 2009. height: 50px; color: #fff; if(document.getElementsByClassName("reference").length==0) if(document.getElementById('Footnotes')!==null) document.getElementById('Footnotes').parentNode.style.display = 'none'; Peter J. MaassenJennifer S. HendersonSusan Carney (Alaska)Dario BorghesanJude Pate, Dana FabeJay RabinowitzWarren MatthewsRobert EastaughWalter CarpenetiDaniel WinfreeBuell NesbettJohn DimondWalter HodgeHarry ArendJoel BolgerJames Martin FitzgeraldMorgan ChristenRobert BoocheverCraig Stowers, .courts-container { background-color:#fcfcfc; width:100%; border:1px solid black;padding:5px;text-align:center;clear:both; } It will either have to provide a better legal justification for the maps or redraw. Any appeal must be filed by Thursday. } Judge Matthews handles primarily civil cases. School districts | Performance Summary After conducting its performance review, the Judicial Council determined that Judge Matthews met or exceeded performance standards font-size: .9em; n % . width: 100% Attorney Matt Singer, hired by the board to defend it in court, said Wednesday that in his view, Matthews order creates a new concept, the notion that public testimony should have a higher role or be more important than the personal views and experience of board members. Matthews holds a B.A. color:white; .widget-key { [Sign up for Alaska Public Medias daily newsletter to get our top stories delivered to your inbox.]. Lewis & Clark College, Northwestern School of Law, .infobox { font-size: 1.2em; State and local courts | width: 90%; font-weight: 300; padding-top: 8px; padding-bottom: 3px; At Gray, our journalists report, write, edit and produce the news content that informs the communities we serve. To the extent that Board Members felt uncomfortable undertaking deliberative discussions in accordance with the law, that should have been considered before accepting a position on the Board, he wrote. .widget-row { .key-messages li {margin-bottom: 10px;} What do you do when there is a judge on the ballot? $(".collapse-all").on('click', () => { But the Republican-appointed board members disagreed. margin-top: 1px; padding-bottom: 7px; font-size: 20px; May 13, 2022 15 A lie told by partisan Alaska blogger writer Matt Buxton has also made its way as factual evidence into the official court record in a case involving the political redistricting of Anchorage. Length of Alaska Practice No response 19 9.6 5 years or fewer 14 7.1 6 to 10 years 22 11.2 11 to 15 years 22 11.2 top: -5px; text-align: left !important; The redistricting board is in charge of the once-per-decade job of redrawing political districts to account for changes in population. .contact_office { font-size: 0.8 em; margin-top: 0.6em; margin-bottom: 0em;margin-right: 0.5em;} She argued that the board held multiple rounds of public testimony for House districts but didnt unveil its Senate map until the last days of the process, then made a decision after extensive closed-door discussions. Warren W. Matthews was a justice of the Alaska Supreme Court. font-size: 12px; The proposed state House map puts Rep. Grier Hopkins, D-Fairbanks, into a district whose voters overwhelmingly picked former President Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election. (Emily Mesner / ADN). .race_header.libertarian { $('.collapse').collapse('hide'); color: #FF6347; Finish the Ballot Fair and Free - featuring Sandra Day O'Connor Increasing Diversity in Alaska's Judiciary Supreme Court Justices Alaska Supreme Court Justices Front Row (L-R): Justice Susan M. Carney, Chief Justice Peter J. Maassen, Justice Dario Borghesan 825 West 4th Avenue. Third Judicial District - Anchorage . } clear: both; The Open Meetings Act is clear that all meetings are open to the public and all deliberations likewise be conducted openly.. While he stopped short of finding that the board reached a consensus in private, Matthews wrote that he saw ample evidence of secretive process at play. Four lawsuits allege specific House districts were drawn incorrectly. Matthews was appointed by Gov. margin-bottom:0px; margin-bottom: 4px; Matthews served as the 8th and 12th chief justice of the Alaska Supreme Court. top: 0px; [1], Warren Matthews has been married to Donna since 1963. .widget-row.Republican { (function() { width: 250px; Public policy. background-color: #f9f9f9; May 2007 - Aug 20074 months. Eva Gardner, the lawyer offering the same lie as Buxton has now presented it in her brief to Superior Court Judge Thomas Matthews. Archive.
.contact_entity {font-size: 1.5em ;margin-top: 0.6em; margin-bottom: 0em;margin-right: 0.5em;} S-18419 Thomas A. Matthews . EDUCATION: University of California, Berkeley, B.S. On July 6, 2023, Matthew Davis 33 years old from Anchorage, Alaska was cited by the Alaska Wildlife Troopers during the Bristol Bay Salmon Enforcement Program for Commercial Fishing Closed Waters in the Egegik District. font-weight: bold; Update the categories youd like to receive notifications about. To each of Skagways points, the Board replied: So what? This is not the response the people should expect to receive from the public entity in charge of redistricting and constitutionally required to hold public hearings, Matthews wrote. The other Supreme Court justices elected Matthews to be the 8th chief justice from 1987 to 1990 and as the 12th chief justice from 1997 to 2000. Due to the nature of this case, three judges recused themselves from the case, as did the courthouse staff. margin-bottom: 1px; .key-messages li:last-child { margin-bottom: 0px;} Law enforcement officers shot and killed a 54-year-old man Wednesday after he pointed a gun at them during a standoff at his Ester home, Alaska State Troopers said. The two board members appointed by independents, Nicole Borromeo (appointed by former Speaker of the House Bryce Edgmon, I-Dillingham) and Melanie Bahnke (appointed by former Chief Justice Joel Bolger), had protested the boards actions on the Anchorage Senate map. He wrote that a quick vote to adopt Senate districts immediately after a meeting closed to the public raised concerns. A federal judge this week dismissed a wrongful-death lawsuit filed against the Municipality of Anchorage and three police officers by the family of a man the officers shot to death in 2019. Matthews was replaced on the court by Morgan Christen. })(); See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection. } They have two daughters: Holly (born ca. display: inline-block; }. .widget-row.Libertarian { (Emily Mesner / ADN). Valdez sued, arguing that it should be placed into a district stretching north, along the Richardson Highway. The nation's other chief justices elected Matthews as second vice president of the Conference of Chief Justices. height: 40px; The public portion of the record leads to only one reasonable inference: some sort of coalition or at least a tacit understanding between members Marcum, Simpson, and Binkley, Matthews said. div.oneoff-scrollbox.regular { height:400px; overflow:scroll; margin:20px; padding:10px; border:1px solid gray; } Attorneys involved in the cases said his ruling will be appealed to the Alaska Supreme Court by whoever loses, and Matthews himself has said to expect an appeal. Federal courts | "We're still going to make sure employees are safe, but it's unfortunate that these employees don't have the same rights the rest of Alaskans.". Click here to contact our editorial staff, and click here to report an error. Former District Court Judge Margaret Murphy faces a maximum of 10 years in jail plus a fine if convicted. Click here to contact our editorial staff, and click here to report an error. The vote fell along the same lines as the original vote on the Senate map: The three Republican-appointed board members voted in favor of an appeal, and the two independent-appointed board members voted against it. width: 35px !important; } The judge did not find that the board erred in two other issues: placing Valdez with part of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough in a House district, and placingHooper Bay and Bethel in separate House districts. } ALASKA RESIDENT SINCE: 2000 . color: black; [1] Career One of the requests by the Alaska State Employees Association in a lawsuit asking that the State of Alaska implement certain measures within state workplaces was denied by a Superior Court judge Tuesday. position: absolute; He won in the retention election on November 8, 2022. $('.collapse').collapse('show'); The compressed timeline is necessary because June 1 is the deadline for candidates to register for the 2022 election. background-color: #f9f9f9; Matthew Schwier, 39, pleaded guilty last August to one federal charge of possessing child pornography. Judges' Info In the District of Alaska, there are three U.S. District Judges and four Senior U.S. District Judges. Matthews will rule for or against those challenges by Feb. 15, determining whether or not the redistricting board must redraw its chosen boundaries. [1] He went on to earn his bachelor of arts degree from Stanford University in 1961 and his juris doctor degree from Harvard Law School in 1964. } The group's legal action also contained a motion for expedited consideration and stated that social distancing rules and staggered work hours must be put in place in government offices. } He was former Board Member and Second Vice-President, Conference of Chief Justices. overflow-y: hidden; Matthews ran for re-election for judge of the Alaska Third District Superior Court. } } } So a plea of not guilty to the charge of perjury will be entered on behalf of Ms. Murphy, Matthews said. In written arguments, he said the preservation of other ANCSA boundaries, but not Calistas, represents unequal treatment. Matthews said he expected a quick review of his decision by the Alaska Supreme Court. font-weight: bold; Title. .widget-row.value-only.white { Matthew C. Christian - District Court Judge, Fourth Judicial District Mailing Address: 101 Lacy St. Fairbanks, AK 99701 Age: 45 Place of Birth: Owatonna, Minnesota Spouse's Name: Heather Christian Children's Name(s): Cora Christian Length of Residency in Alaska: 1994-1996; 2002-current Alaska Communities Lived in: Why do judges appear on the ballot? UAA Institute of Social and Economic Research Retention 2022: Peace and Probation Officers 22 31: Judge Thomas A. Matthews: Description of Respondents' Experience Honorable Thomas A. Matthews. display: inline-block; Matthews was appointed to the court in 1977 by then-governor Jay Hammond, a Republican. The boards map for the state Senate creates two Republican-leaning Senate seats in northeast Anchorage by joining a portion of Eagle River to Muldoon. The judge did not find that the board erred in two other issues: placing Valdez with part of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough in a House district, and placing Hooper Bay and Bethel in separate House districts. 12/14/2018. color: white; .external_links_table { width: auto !important; } margin-right: 12px; Alaskas political boundaries are now in the hands of an Anchorage Superior Court judge, and the order he writes over the weekend could determine control of the state House and Senate. } Matthews (2000-2001) Alaska Legal Services (2002) Contract Practice (2002-2006) Assistant Public Defender, Alaska Public Defender Agency (2006-2018) width: 100% !important; Elections in 2023 | Former District Court Judge Margaret Murphy faces a maximum of 10 years in jail plus a fine if convicted.