Palin appoints Christen to Alaska Supreme Court

Do you get the feeling that Palin gets work done at warp speed? I do. She does so many things at once and makes so many decisions that it's hard to keep up. Great for Alaska - she's doing a ton of hard work for them.

Palin fills Alaska Supreme Court vacancy
KTUU.com, by Channel 2 News staff
Wednesday, March 4, 2009

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Gov. Sarah Palin appointed Anchorage Superior Court Judge Morgan Christen to the Alaska Supreme Court on Wednesday.

Christen, 47, is the 20th justice appointed to the court.

"I have every confidence that Judge Christen has the experience, intellect, wisdom and character to be an outstanding Supreme Court justice," Palin said in a statement.

According to the press release, Christen has been a presiding judge since 2005 and was named as a superior court judge in 2002. After earning a law degree from Golden Gate University in 1986, Christen clerked for Anchorage Superior Court Justice Brian Shortell from 1986-87.

She joined Preston, Gates and Ellis in 1987 and became a partner in 1992.

Christen will replace Justice Warren Matthews, who has served on the Supreme Court for 22 years -- including six years as chief justice, from 1987-1990 and again from 1997-2000. State law bars judges from serving past 70, and Matthews will turn 70 on April 5.

Under current judicial selection procedures, the Alaska Judicial Council received applications from six Alaska attorneys, winnowed the list to two names, and forwarded them to the governor, who made the final decision.