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Per-judge retention calls inside
The ballot
Alaska does not elect its Supreme Court justices in contested races. Under Alaska's merit system, the Alaska Judicial Council screens applicants and forwards nominees to the governor, who appoints. A justice first faces the voters in a retention election — an uncontested, nonpartisan, yes-or-no question, shall this justice be retained in office? — and then every ten years. A majority of YES votes retains the justice; a majority of NO votes removes him when the term expires, and the vacancy is filled through the same Council-and-governor process. The election is November 3, 2026; early voting is already open.
One justice is on the statewide ballot this year: Jude Pate. (Trial-court judges also stand for retention in their own districts; they are on the Council's district lists, not this guide.)
Alaska gives voters something most retention states do not: an official evaluation with a recommendation. State law requires the Alaska Judicial Council to evaluate every judge standing for retention — surveying attorneys, jurors, court employees, police and probation officers, social-service professionals and others who have seen the judge work, and reviewing appellate records, financial disclosures, disqualifications, disciplinary history and delayed decisions — and to publish a recommendation. That evaluation is the backbone of this guide.
Justice Jude Pate
- Appointed by: Governor Mike Dunleavy, January 20, 2023, from a Judicial Council nominee list, filling the vacancy created by Chief Justice Daniel Winfree's retirement. On the Supreme Court since 2023 — three years. This is his first retention election in this seat.
- Before the high court: A judge since 2018, sitting on the Sitka Superior Court (2018–2023). Before that, an assistant public defender in Sitka (2006–2018), private practice (1999–2006), and counsel for the Sitka Tribe of Alaska (1994–1999). Lewis & Clark law degree, 1993; an Alaska resident for 29 years at appointment.
- Official evaluation: The Judicial Council finds that Justice Pate met or exceeded performance standards and recommends a YES vote — the Council voted 6–0 to retain. Surveyed justice-system professionals rated his overall performance 4.8, in the "excellent" range, and the Council found he met or exceeded standards on legal ability, integrity, impartiality, fairness, temperament, diligence and administrative skills, complied with public-disclosure requirements, followed judicial ethics standards, and met continuing-education requirements.
- Credits: A full career on both sides of the courtroom in rural Alaska — tribal counsel, public defense, private practice, then five years as a trial judge — before elevation; the Council's evaluation records no area below standard.
- Dirt: None documented. Our research — the Council's full evaluation, the governor's appointment record, the official election pamphlet, and Alaska news coverage — surfaced no disciplinary record, no ethics finding, and no organized campaign against his retention. For scale, the same Council this year recommended NO votes on two Kenai trial judges and made no recommendation on a third judge; its YES on Pate is a considered verdict, not a rubber stamp.
OUR CALL
Our rule: Retain is the verdict for a judge with a serviceable documented record; removal requires proven cause — documented misconduct, proven activist judging that breaks faith with the law, or an evaluation failure. None exists here. The state's own evaluators, who failed other judges on this same ballot, scored Pate excellent and voted unanimously to keep him.
Retain: Jude Pate. Do not retain: none.
For the complete Election 2026 breakdown — every race, claim by claim — see the full coverage on our website. Vote early. Research your candidates. Choose the best moderates, whatever their party — no extremism from either side. And encourage your friends and family to do the same. --- Sources - Alaska Judicial Council — 2026 Judges Standing for Retention (Pate: VOTE YES) — https://www.ajc.state.ak.us/retention/current2026.html - Alaska Division of Elections — Official Election Pamphlet 2026, Justice Jude Pate (Council evaluation: met or exceeded standards; 6–0 retain vote; overall rating 4.8; appointed 1/20/23; Sitka Superior Court 2018–2023) — https://elections.alaska.gov/doc/oep/2026/PATE,%20JUDE_Supreme%20Court_Eng_v1%20(1).pdf - Office of Governor Mike Dunleavy, January 20, 2023 — appointment announcement — https://gov.alaska.gov/governor-dunleavy-appoints-jude-pate-to-the-alaska-supreme-court/ - The Alaska Story, 2026 — Judicial Council recommendations incl. NO votes on two Kenai judges and no recommendation on Judge Carpeneti (scale for the Pate YES) — https://thealaskastory.com/alaska-judicial-council-recommends-voters-remove-two-kenai-judges-in-november-retention-election/ - 2026 United States judicial elections (compilation citing Ballotpedia) — roster verification — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_United_States_judicial_elections
Result pending. No verified call (Associated Press or official) as of November 4, 2026. This page will be updated when the race is called or certified. The original article above is unchanged.
AI-assisted article — but the sources are human, and the facts are very real.