Fabe Addresses Cost Of Delivering Justice

The State of the Judiciary address can sometimes be a lofty affair, where the head of the State Supreme Court sets out a vision for what justice in Alaska should look like. This year, Alaska Supreme Chief Justice Dana Fabe delved into more pragmatic concerns, like the effect of declining revenues on the state legal system.

It’s means working smart and doing more with less, so that we continue to operate in the manner the constitution requires of us even in the face of of budget constraints.”

Fabe highlighted the work of retired justices who fill in to help manage case loads and the money the state is saving by filing documents electronically. State lawmakers rapped their knuckles on their desks as a form of applause when Fabe noted the court system had found other ways to pay for a sobriety program and was returning a $40,000 legislative appropriation.

This was Fabe’s eighth address to the Alaska Legislature.