Trial Courts
Trial courts hear court cases when initiated and render decisions on the law and facts of cases within their jurisdiction. The two trial court levels in the Alaska Court System are the Superior Court and the District Court.
The trial courts in Alaska are divided into four judicial districts, whose boundaries are defined by statute. In January of each year, the Supreme Court chief justice designates a Superior Court judge from each of Alaska’s four judicial districts to serve as presiding judge for one calendar year.
In addition to regular judicial duties, the presiding judge is responsible for administrating the trial courts within the district, including assigning cases, supervising court personnel, efficiently handling court business, and appointing magistrate judges. The area court administrators assist the presiding judge with administrative responsibilities for each judicial district.
Superior Court
The Superior Court is the trial court of general jurisdiction. There are 45 Superior Court judges located throughout the state. The Superior Court has the authority to hear all civil and criminal cases properly brought before the state courts, with the very limited exception of matters taken directly to the Supreme Court. However, the Superior Court does not routinely hear cases that may be brought in the District Court, a court of limited jurisdiction.
Superior Court Jurisdiction
The Superior Court:
- is a trial court for both criminal and civil cases;
- serves as an appellate court for appeals from civil and criminal cases that have been tried in the District Court;
- hears cases involving children who have committed crimes (juvenile delinquency) or who are abused or neglected (child in need of aid);
- hears cases involving the property of deceased or incompetent persons;
- hears cases involving involuntary commitment of persons to institutions for the mentally ill;
- handles domestic relations matters; and
- handles guardianships and conservatorship.
District Court
The District Court is a trial court of limited jurisdiction. Its powers are narrower than those of the Superior Court. During Statehood in 1959, the Alaska legislature created a District Court for each judicial district. It granted the Supreme Court the authority to increase or decrease the number of District Court judges within each. Currently, 20 District Court judges serve in three of the four judicial districts.
Magistrate judges are judicial officers of the District Court whose authority is more limited than the authority of a District Court judge. They preside over certain cases in areas of the state where the services of a full-time District Court judge are not required. Some magistrate judges serve more than one court location. Magistrate judges also serve in metropolitan areas to handle routine matters and ease the workload of the District Court judges. A magistrate judge is not required to be a lawyer.
District Court Judge Jurisdiction
A District Court judge may:
- hear state misdemeanors and minor offenses and violations of city and borough ordinances;
- issue summonses, arrest warrants and search warrants;
- hear first appearances and preliminary hearings in felony cases;
- hear civil cases involving claims not to exceed a value of $100,000 per defendant;
- hear small claims cases ($10,000 maximum for most cases; $20,000 for wage claims brought by the Department of Labor);
- handle cases involving children on an emergency basis;
- hear domestic violence cases; and
- hear inquests and presumptive death hearings.
Magistrate Judge Jurisdiction
A magistrate judge may:
- hear trials of municipal ordinance violations, state traffic infractions and other minor offenses;
- hold trials and enter judgments in state misdemeanors if a defendant agrees in writing to be tried by a magistrate judge;
- issue summonses, arrest warrants and search warrants;
- preside over preliminary hearings in felony cases;
- hear formal civil cases ($10,000 maximum);
- hear small claims cases ($10,000 maximum for most cases; $20,000 for wage claims brought by the Department of Labor);
- handle cases involving children on an emergency basis;
- hear domestic violence cases;
- hear inquest and presumptive death hearings;
- issue writs of habeas corpus (challenges to the legality of a person’s confinement);
- solemnize marriages and perform notary public duties;
- act as a hearing officer to review an administrative revocation of a driver’s license;
- enter a judgment of conviction if a defendant pleads guilty or no contest to any state misdemeanor; and
- conduct extradition (fugitive from justice) proceedings.
The Court of Appeals
The Court of Appeals is a four-judge court consisting of a chief judge and three associate judges. It was created in 1980 by the Alaska Legislature. The chief justice appoints the chief judge to serve a two-year term.
Court of Appeals Jurisdiction
The Court of Appeals has jurisdiction to hear appeals in cases involving criminal prosecutions, post-conviction relief, juvenile delinquency, extradition, habeas corpus, probation and parole, bail, and the excessiveness or leniency of a sentence, as follows:
- Appeals. The Court of Appeals must accept appeals from final decisions by the Superior Court or the District Court in criminal cases. These include merit appeals (issues concerning the merits of a conviction) and sentence appeals (issues concerning the excessiveness or leniency of a sentence).
- Discretionary Matters. The Court of Appeals may exercise its discretion to accept:
- Petitions for Review of non-final orders from the Superior Court or the District Court;
- Petitions for Hearing of final appellate decisions of the Superior Court on review of the District Court’s decisions; and
- Original Applications in matters for which relief cannot be obtained from the court through one of the above procedures.