Judicial Selection Methods

Alaska selects high courts/supreme courts by having uncontested retention elections after initial appointments. Alaska also selects their intermediate appellate court judges by having uncontested retention elections after initial appointments. To select their trial court judges Alaska has uncontested retention elections for all general jurisdiction trial courts. The benefits and drawbacks fpr selecting judges through popular elections are that if the people get to vote for the judges then it will seem as if their voice was heard. But then again, everyone included in the elections i.e. the government probably feel as if they know better who should be appointed as judges and if the people vote, their opinions don't matter.

- T.D.