Jude Pate

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jude Pate
Justice of the Alaska Supreme Court
Assumed office
March 22, 2023
Appointed byMike Dunleavy
Preceded byDaniel Winfree
Judge of the Sitka Superior Court
In office
June 1, 2018 – March 22, 2023
Appointed byBill Walker
Preceded byDavid George
Personal details
Born
Michael Jude Pate[1]

Nuremberg, Germany
EducationUniversity of Kansas (BS)
Lewis & Clark College (JD)

Michael Jude Pate is an American lawyer who serves as a justice of the Alaska Supreme Court. He previously served as a judge of the Sitka Superior Court from 2018 to 2023.

Early life and education[edit]

Pate was born in Nuremberg, Germany while his father was stationed in the U.S. Army, he spent his childhood primarily in the Netherlands and Kansas.[2] He attended AFCENT High School in the Netherlands.[3] He received a Bachelor of Science in journalism from the University of Kansas and a Juris Doctor from Lewis & Clark Law School.[2][3]

Career[edit]

From 1994 to 1999, Pate served as trial counsel for the Sitka Tribe of Alaska. From 1999 to 2006, he was in private practice and from 2006 to 2018 he was an assistant public defender.[2] In February 2018, Governor Bill Walker appointed Pate as a judge of the Sitka superior court,[4] to replace retiring Judge David George. He was sworn in on June 1, 2018.[5]

Alaska Supreme Court[edit]

Pate was one of seven candidates who applied for the upcoming vacancy.[6] On January 20, 2023, Governor Mike Dunleavy announced the appointment of Pate to the Alaska Supreme Court to fill the upcoming vacancy made by the mandatory retirement of Chief Justice Daniel Winfree.[7] With his appointment, Pate is the first justice to come from someplace other than Juneau, Anchorage or Fairbanks since 1960.[8] He assumed office in March 2023.[9]

Affiliations[edit]

Since 2010, Pate has coached the Sitka High School mock trials, been a member of the Judicial Conference Planning Committee since 2020 and a member of the Fairness, Diversity, and Equality Committee since 2018.[3][10]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Alaska Judicial Council Trial Judge Questionnaire" (PDF). Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c "Biographical Statement" (PDF). July 18, 2022. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c "Superior Court Judge – First Judicial District - Sitka – Jude Pate" (PDF). Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  4. ^ Brooks, James (February 13, 2018). "Jude Pate named to Sitka court bench". Juneau Empire. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  5. ^ Kwong, Emily (June 2, 2018). "'He looks good in black': Jude Pate sworn in as Sitka Judge". KCAW. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  6. ^ Brooks, James (July 26, 2022). "Seven apply for upcoming Alaska Supreme Court vacancy". Alaska Beacon. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  7. ^ "Governor Dunleavy Appoints Jude Pate to the Alaska Supreme Court" (Press release). Office of Governor Mike Dunleavy. January 20, 2023. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  8. ^ Brooks, James (January 21, 2023). "Dunleavy picks Sitka judge for Supreme Court, first justice in decades from small-town Alaska". Alaska Beacon. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  9. ^ "Jude Pate" (PDF). courts.alaska.gov. March 2023. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  10. ^ Rockey, Tim (January 20, 2023). "Sitka judge appointed to Alaska Supreme Court". www.alaskasnewssource.com. Retrieved January 24, 2023.

External links[edit]

Legal offices
Preceded by Justice of the Alaska Supreme Court
2023–present
Incumbent