For the first time in the history of Alaska the position of Chief Justice of the Alaska Supreme Court is held by someone born in the state. Daniel Winfree was born in Fairbanks in the 1953, six years before the territory became a state. His family had been in the area for years. His grandparents were in Dawson, Yukon Territory and Alaska at the turn of the century looking for gold.
A Fairbanks Justice was sworn in as the new Chief Justice of the Alaska Supreme Court. Daniel Winfree was sworn in this morning by Justice Dario Borghesan. He succeeds retiring Chief Justice Joel Bolger.
The Alaska court system Monday said it is taking steps aimed at avoiding future cyberattacks, such as upgrading software and “investing in technology that can better protect our systems from intrusion.”
The FBI searched the home and business of a couple from Homer on April 28 looking for items stolen from the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. Newly unsealed court records show agents believed a woman seen assisting in the theft of a computer belonging to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi was Marilyn Hueper of Homer.
A pair of administrative orders from Presiding Judge Terrence Haas says that the 14 day case rate of 47.05 per 100,000 residents made it unsafe to conduct in person grand jury and in person jury trials.
The Alaska Department of Corrections will resume in-person visitations this week, but a new set of vaccination requirements have drawn criticism from several civil rights organizations.
The attorney for a Galena man convicted of second degree sexual assault of a minor has filed a motion for a new trial. The motion came after a friend of the defendant reported being able to listen to deliberations over the phone.
A proposal by the Alaska Criminal Justice Commission could provide juveniles sentenced to lengthy prison sentences an opportunity for parole after serving 15 years.
The first in-person jury trial held in Alaska's Interior in nearly a year has concluded, signaling a return to normalcy in the criminal justice system.
An Alaska man accused of posting photos and video of himself inside the U.S. Capitol building during the riot in January is now facing federal charges for his participation in the attack.
Four men who say they were illegally imprisoned for nearly two decades for the murder of a teenager in Alaska will have their lawsuit go forward after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to get involved in the case.
On the final day of hearings regarding motions the defense filed, defense attorney Jim Howaniac called Jim McCann to the stand to testify on his investigation into the murder.
Attorneys for Downs and the State finished litigating a motion to suppress evidence and began arguing on a motion to dismiss the indictments filed against Downs.
Steven Down’s lead defense attorney Jim Howaniec spent much of the day questioning lead Alaska State Trooper cold case investigator Randy McPherron about the history of the investigation and how they handled gathering evidence.
Steven Downs appeared in court for the first time in nearly a year as attorneys appeared before Superior Court Judge Thomas Temple to argue on motions to suppress evidence and dismiss the charges.
The 12th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day free legal clinic is going virtual because of COVID-19. The event offers free consultation with attorneys regarding family law, housing law, public benefit law and other types of civil law.
The Alaska Supreme Court has once again issued an order delaying jury trials in the state. According to the order, the level of cases in the state and the lack of widespread COVID-19 vaccines until March makes starting trials, “unduly dangerous.”
The city of Fairbanks has appealed a 9th Circuit Court ruling to the United State Supreme Court. In January of this year, the 9th Circuit Court ruled that a group of men known as the ‘Fairbanks Four’ should be allowed to sue the city for wrongful conviction.
Camp Li-Wa, operated by Victory Christian Ministries, has been engaged in a multi-year legal fight with the Fairbanks North Star Borough over their tax exempt status for borough property taxes. Since 2018, the Borough has been requiring them to pay property taxes.
A Fairbanks man who pleaded guilty to manslaughter earlier this year has been sentenced to serve 10 years in prison for shaking his seven month old baby to death in 2018. James Jimieson, 24, was charged with first and second degree murder after his baby died in an Anchorage hospital from brain trauma due to being shook. Jimieson who deals with severe autism pleaded guilty to manslaughter after prosecutors offered the plea deal.
Martin Wayne Cook, 60, was convicted by a jury in 2019 of having sex with a minor between 2011 and 2013. He was found guilty of sexual abuse of a minor in the first degree and sexual abuse of a minor in the second degree. Investigators also charged him with sexual abuse of a minor in the second degree for abusing another victim in 2017. The jury found him guilty of that count as well.
An Alaska man was required to learn about the Holocaust and read books about overcoming extremist beliefs as part of a federal sentence for illegally owning a machine gun and silencers.
After grand jury proceedings were allowed to continue in June of this year, the Fairbanks District Court has decided to once again temporarily suspend proceedings due to rising COVID case counts in the Fairbanks North Star Borough.
With 25 days till the November 2020 election, much of the focus is on who will lead the country for the next four years from the executive branch as well as the candidates hoping to represent Alaskans in congress and the legislature, but an often overlooked group of people who wield great power are on the ballot too — 22 judges are up for retention statewide.
Even though trials are resuming, they will look much different than before with social distancing and required masks. Some attorneys worry that these rules may make it hard to adequately represent their clients to a jury.
A woman left paralyzed after a man drunkenly danced at a party while holding a gun surprised the judge and brought her shooter to tears Tuesday as she delivered a powerful message of forgiveness.
Even as many court proceedings ground to a halt in the end of March, crimes were still committed and defendants were waiting trial. All this has lead to a significant backlog in the court system.
Since March, the Alaska Court System has put all jury trials on hold in their ongoing efforts to fight to the COVID-19 pandemic, some defense attorneys are worried their clients rights are being violated.
Peter Horace-Wright was allegedly shot to death by Ryder Alan Smith at a towing business in November of last year. The 11 minutes between the gun shots and Ryder Smith calling the police, Smith can be heard calling his father. Ryder Smith faces first degree murder charges, but Peter Horace-Wright's family is calling on the justice system to make Smith's father accountable as well.
According to a 10-page motioned filed in Fairbanks Superior Court, “Due process guarantees a criminal defendant the right to prepare and present a defense, and this due process right encompasses the separate constitutional right to the effective assistance of counsel.” They claim this right is violated by the rule banning in-person visitation.
In an opinion issued Friday, the Alaska Court of Appeals ruled that law enforcement officers can not use technology such as cameras and drones to search from the air during an investigation without an arrest warrant.
Alaska jails have been closed to the public since the COVID-19 pandemic started, that includes attorneys who are no longer able to meet with clients in person.
On Thursday, Chief Justice Joel Bolger issued Special Order 8183 extending the suspension of in-person criminal and civil jury trials until November 2, 2020.
Mark King, 51, of Fairbanks was handed down a 90 year prison sentence for multiple sexual crimes against minors. Judge Thomas Temple suspended 40 years of the sentence for a total time served of 50 years.
