"Kirsten Swanson"

A formal ceremony was held Oct. 26 for the former Juneau city attorney. The new Superior Court judge was sworn in officially back in late August.

Former Alaska state Rep. Zach Fansler pleaded guilty Thursday to second-degree harassment in connection with a January incident in which he struck a woman in his hotel room.

The Alaska Judicial Council nominated Amy Gurton Mead and Julie Willoughby as the best qualified candidates to succeed Juneau Superior Court Judge Louis Menendez. Gov. Bill Walker has less than 45 days to make a selection.

Juneau District Court Judge Thomas Nave and Juneau Superior Court Judge Louis Menendez are both retiring on June 29.

The state has created an entirely new Pretrial Enforcement Division. Its 60 officers are responsible for monitoring defendants’ compliance with their conditions of release.

District Court Judge Kirsten Swanson was publicly sworn in during a ceremony Dec. 9, although she began hearing cases at least a week earlier.

District Court Judge Kirsten Swanson was sworn in on Wednesday.

Outgoing Juneau District Court Judge Keith Levy says he’ll spend time with his eight grandchildren, work as a fill-in judge when needed and help mediate marriage dissolution cases.

She says she’s a big supporter of the therapeutic and mental health courts, which offer treatment-based alternatives to incarceration.

The Alaska Judicial Council nominated Michael Franciosi of Glennallen, and Kirsten Swanson and Julie Willoughby, both of Juneau.