Eight attorneys and two magistrates statewide have applied for the Juneau District Court judgeship that Judge Keith Levy will leave behind when he retires in October.
Seven of the applicants are Juneau attorneys practicing in different areas, from private practice to public defenders to the City and Borough of Juneau’s municipal legal office.
City attorney Amy Mead is one of the applicants.
“I look at it like one of the ultimate public service jobs for a lawyer,” Mead told the Empire in an interview Friday. “I can’t say that this is a goal that I’ve had since law school … but I’m very committed to public service.”
One of the reasons Mead was inspired to apply to the bench, she said, was her concern for diversity. The last, and only, female justice appointed to Juneau’s First Judicial District was Patricia Collins in 1999.
“I think it’s important there be some diversity,” Mead said. “But that’s not a commentary on any fellow male applicants.”
Three other women — prominent criminal defense attorneys Julie Willoughby and Kristen Swanson, both in private practice in Juneau, and Assistant State Attorney General Joan Wilkerson — are also vying for the seat.
Wilkerson said she agreed with Mead that it might be time for a woman to serve on the bench in Juneau. She said it was after reading an article about Levy’s time on the bench where he helped people through “problem solving” courts — therapeutic and mental health courts overseen by district judges — that she decided to research the application process.
“I’ve had the opportunity to interview Judge Levy and … his enthusiasm for the impact he can make on the lives of people who appear before him — it’s very encouraging.”
Kevin Higgins, another applicant for the judgeship and a private practice attorney in Juneau for the past eight years, said the impact courts can have on defendants is a motivating factor for him, too. He said he believes his appointment could offer another kind of diversity — in age.
At 36, Higgins is on the younger side of the applicant pool. He’s practiced law in Alaska for eight and a half years.
“Some might say (my age) could be a handicap, but I’d be bringing a new vitality to (the job) and … it wouldn’t be a stepping stone for Superior Court when (one) opened … this would be a long-term career goal,” Higgins said.
Juneau Assistant Public Defender Timothy Ayer, 31, said he isn’t necessarily worried about lacking the years on his resume because, as an public defender, he sits in a district courtroom Monday through Friday, sometimes on for 30 hearings in a single week. He also said he won’t shy away from studying in-depth for every case that comes his way.
“I may not have the years, but I’d say I have a wealth of experience,” he said.
Members of the Alaska Bar Association will submit their opinions of each candidate later this year as part of the application process for the Alaska Judicial Council to consider. The Council, after interviewing each candidate and conducting background checks, will forward a list of finalists to Gov. Bill Walker for his consideration.
Here’s a complete list of applicants:
• Timothy Ayer: Alaska resident for five and a half years, practicing law for five and a half years. Currently an assistant public defender in Juneau.
• Jeff Bradley: Alaska resident for nine years, practicing law for eight and a half years. Currently an assistant public defender in Palmer.
• Romano D. DiBenedetto: Alaska resident for five years, practicing law for 21 years. Currently a magistrate in Fairbanks.
• Michael Joseph Franciosi: Alaska resident for 20 and a half years, practicing law for 24 and a half years. Currently a magistrate in Glennallen.
• Kevin Andrew Higgins: Alaska resident for nine years, practicing law for eight and a half years. Currently practicing privately in Juneau.
• Amy Gurton Mead: Alaska resident for 19 and a half years, practicing law for 19 years. Currently the Municipal Attorney for CBJ.
• Kristen Swanson: Alaska resident for 17 and a half years, practicing law for 20 and a half years. Currently practicing privately in Juneau.
• Leon Vance: Alaska resident for 32 and a half years, practicing law for 33 and a half years. Currently practicing privately in Juneau.
• Joan Wilkerson: Alaska resident for 28 years, practicing law for 14 years. Currently the assistant state attorney general in Juneau.
• Julie Willoughby: Alaska resident for 30 years, practicing law for 17 and a half years. Currently practicing privately in Juneau.
• Contact reporter Paula Ann Solis at 523-2272 or paula.solis@juneauempire.com.
Related stories:
Juneau District Court Judge Levy to retire in October
The state House just ended the War on Drugs in Alaska
Pilot-project mental health court set to come to Juneau
Success Inside & Out helps Juneau inmates transition to live after prison
