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Christen Named to Alaska Supreme Court
Office of Gov. Palin ^ | March 4, 2009 | Office of Gov. Palin

Posted on 03/05/2009 1:38:11 AM PST by SolidWood

March 4, 2009, Juneau, Alaska – Governor Sarah Palin selected Anchorage Superior Court Judge Morgan Christen to the Alaska Supreme Court. Christen is the 20th justice appointed to the Court.

“Alaska’s Supreme Court bears the awesome responsibility of ensuring that our court system administers justice in firm accordance with the principles laid down in our state Constitution,” said Governor Palin. “I have every confidence that Judge Christen has the experience, intellect, wisdom and character to be an outstanding Supreme Court justice.”

Christen, 47, was born in Chehalis, Washington. After attending colleges in England, Switzerland, and the People’s Republic of China, she received a bachelor’s degree in international studies from the University of Washington in 1983, and a law degree from Golden Gate University School of Law in San Francisco, California, in 1986.

Christen worked as a law clerk to Anchorage Superior Court Justice Brian Shortell from 1986-87, then joined Preston, Gates & Ellis in 1987, becoming a partner in 1992. She was appointed as an Anchorage Superior Court justice in 2002, and has been presiding judge since 2005.

Christen currently serves on the boards of the Alaska Community Foundation and the Rasmuson Foundation, and previously served on the boards of the United Way of Anchorage, and of Big Brothers/Big Sisters. A past president of Anchorage Association of Women Lawyers, she has also won the Anchorage Chamber’s Light of Hope award for helping Alaska children in 2004, and won the Anchorage Chamber’s Athena Society Award in 2006. She has been a member of the Downtown Anchorage Rotary Club since 1992.

(Excerpt) Read more at gov.state.ak.us ...


TOPICS: Front Page News; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Alaska
KEYWORDS: alaska; court; ericsmith; morganchristen; palin; sarahpalin
The problem is the two choices she has to pick from are justices who don't align with her conservative views.

Alaska's judges are selected using the Missouri Plan, which combines election and appointment in choosing the judge. The Alaska Judicial Council selects the nominees from which the governor can then make an appointment. As one conservative Web site explained, "she's boxed in tighter than Florida Gov. Charlie Crist."

A total of six judges applied, but only two were elected by the Judicial Council, Eric Smith, considered very liberal, and Morgan Christen, who is viewed as more of a moderate. Christen and Smith were rated with scores of 4.3 and 4.5 out of a 5 point scale used to elect judges by the council.

The four other nominees scored between 3.7 and 2.4 and were not sent to Palin for consideration.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2184762/posts

......

Christen is far from Conservative, but the alternative was apparently very liberal.

1 posted on 03/05/2009 1:38:12 AM PST by SolidWood
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To: SolidWood

Christen and Smith

2 posted on 03/05/2009 1:41:21 AM PST by SolidWood (Palin: "In Alaska we eat therefore we hunt.")
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To: SolidWood

I wouldn’t even need to see Smith’s credentials, his pic makes him look like a Socialist hippy. Governors should be able to appoint whomever they wish to the bench as long as they’re qualified to serve. The Missouri plan puts a gun to a Governor’s head and places the real power in the hands of an elite corps of liberal trial lawyers and keeps the courts left-leaning. We have modified Missouri in TN and it is unconstitutional under our state law that requires judges be selected by the people. It was implemented to insure the Supreme Court remained left-wing Democrat.


3 posted on 03/05/2009 1:59:36 AM PST by fieldmarshaldj (~"This is what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps !"~~)
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To: fieldmarshaldj

Wisdom. Leftists are traitors we now see.


4 posted on 03/05/2009 2:14:35 AM PST by American in Israel (A wise man's heart directs him to the right, but the foolish mans heart directs him toward the left.)
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To: SolidWood

How do you plead?

NOT GUILTY!

5 posted on 03/05/2009 2:15:03 AM PST by grey_whiskers (The opinions are solely those of the author and are subject to change without notice.)
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To: SolidWood

Governor Palin had to choose between a musk rat and a skunk. She’s probably still holding her nose this morning.


6 posted on 03/05/2009 3:48:14 AM PST by Virginia Ridgerunner (Sarah Palin is a smart missile aimed at the heart of the left!)
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To: SolidWood

Smith looks like someone who would be asking for spare change on a street corner somewhere.

Gov. Palin has another difficult decision coming up. She has to appoint someone to fill the seat of the guy who is going to go and serve in the 0bama administration. She has to pick a democrat.


7 posted on 03/05/2009 4:28:21 AM PST by euram
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To: SolidWood
3 members of the Alaska Judicial Council are selected by the governor, and 3 by the Alaska Bar Association.

So, if one party packs the Bar Association (as the Dems have already done), they get to control the courts.

8 posted on 03/05/2009 6:01:10 AM PST by cookcounty ("Think, Schumer! It's plain as the egg on your face!")
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To: cookcounty

Why didnt she use her option to consider more candidates?

This is not good.


9 posted on 03/05/2009 2:41:32 PM PST by JaneNC (I)
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To: SolidWood; All

This is nothing but a well designed execution of part of Alinsky’s plan to use your opponents creed against them.

Be ready for more the same to breed discontent and divide Palin’s support.

She is walking in a perpetual, electoral minefield simply by exercising effective government for the state of Alaska.

Take these words to heart . . .

———— dare to cheat, dare to win ————

. . . this is the one constant you can count on from the marxist opposition.

thaDeetz


10 posted on 03/06/2009 11:37:10 AM PST by ebiskit (South Park Republican ( I see Red People ))
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