The Alaska Judicial Council has announced four finalists in the search to fill a forthcoming vacancy on the Anchorage Superior Court.
Dani Crosby, Kevin Fitzgerald, Josie Garton and Jonathan Woodman were nominated as the most qualified applicants to replace Judge Michael Spaan, who is retiring. Gov. Bill Walker has 45 days to appoint one of the nominees.
The council held a public hearing at the state Supreme Court in Anchorage last week and took comments about 11 applicants, which had been reduced from 14.
Former state Sen. Hollis French was among the original pool vying for the judicial appointment. However, after a meeting on Oct. 1, the judicial council removed French's name from consideration for the position.
French and the council discussed his qualification under Alaska law, and the council determined he didn't meet the requirement of having been "engaged in active practice of law for not less than five years immediately preceding appointment," said Susanne DiPietro, executive director of the Alaska Judicial Council.
The council's view was French's time in the Alaska Senate did not count as having been actively engaged in practicing law, French said in a phone interview.
"I think the council took an overly restrictive view of what it means to practice law," he said.
French declined to say whether he'd considered pursuing a future vacancy.
Fitzgerald has the most experience practicing law among the finalists, with 28 years. He and Crosby are private-practice attorneys. Garton is an assistant public defender, and Woodman is a senior assistant attorney general.