The Alaska Judicial Council's media buys and advocacy campaign in support of Judge Sen Tan are an egregious misuse of public trust. State law calls for judges and their allies to comply with campaign laws, and specifically prohibits the use of public funds for campaigns, including judicial retention.
Alaska citizens rely on both their judges and state agencies, including the Judicial Council, to comply with election law. If the Judicial Council is allowed to muscle into campaigns and drown out the opposition, Alaska is sending a clear message to its citizens: Any legitimate group that wishes to oppose a judge had better be prepared to match resources with officials at the Judicial Council, who feel free to besmirch their opponents and selectively choose which state laws they will comply with. This candidate for retention and his campaign surrogates on the Judicial Council must comply with state law. The credibility of our system of justice is at stake.
— Greg Schmidt
Anchorage