You many email comments to [email protected], or mail comments to Judicial Code Public Comments, c/o Stacy Steinberg, Alaska Court System, 820 W. 4th Ave., Anchorage, AK 99501.
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The tentative draft Code as well as several helpful resources are available for review on the Alaska Court System’s Rules page at courts.alaska.gov/ru.... The deadline to submit comments and suggested changes is Friday, January 23, 2026.
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The tentative draft Code is an extensive structural revision as well as some substantive changes based on the 2007 American Bar Association’s Model Code of Judicial Conduct.
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We are so glad so many of you have been following up with the mentors you met!

Learn more about the award at www.ncsc.org/news/al...
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We look forward to sharing more stories like MJ Hess's in the future as more COJ alumni enter the legal profession and take on leadership roles.

Our deepest thanks to every youth who participated and was willing to listen to our pitch about joining the legal profession. 🧵
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Magistrate Judge Pamela Hess participated in Color of Justice as a youth and now sits on the bench in Nome. She now presents at COJ to the next generation alongside her mentor, Dr. Susan Lee of Gonzaga, who she met at COJ as a participant in Anchorage. 🧵
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The program creatively engages students in learning about the Constitution, courts, the legal profession, trial advocacy, tribal law and decision-making. Student surveys show significant increased interest in careers in the law after students participated in the program. 🧵
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School District, University of Alaska , Seattle University School of Law, the Sitka Tribe of Alaska, Kawerak Inc., Koniag Inc., CIRI, and countless attorneys, judges, and educators. Thank you to everyone who has made this program a success over the years! 🧵
5/9

This was a huge honor for the program, and the award is shared by everyone who has made the program happen over the years - the Alaska Court System, the Alaska Native Justice Center, Gonzaga University School of Law, University of Washington School of Law, Mount Edgecumbe HS, Anchorage 🧵
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We also got to celebrate the Alaska Color of Justice Program (COJ) winning the Sandra Day O'Connor Award for the Advancement of Civics Education together with many of the countless volunteers who have made the program a success since it started in 2003! 🧵
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The students were wonderful - engaged and inquisitive. The adult volunteers were all so impressed with these young people. 🧵
2/9

It is the court system’s hope that the lodging options for jurors will expand, and that jurors from communities within the 50-mile radius of the Bethel Court can be included in the potential juror pool again.

Combined with the difficulties of commuting between Bethel and the outlying villages, jurors whose flights are delayed or cancelled are at risk of ending up stranded in Bethel without shelter.

We are temporarily excluding jurors from villages outside Bethel and are working with a smaller pool of potential jurors. Housing options in Bethel have become scarce for jurors traveling from other communities. Often, there are no available accommodations for jurors who do not live in Bethel.

Judge, thank you for your years of service to Alaskans. It has been an honor & a joy to work with you & learn from you.
From mental health court, Anchorage Youth Court, and Color of Justice to living and breathing the Pledge of Fairness, our justice system is better because of her contributions.

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