AJC Home > Retention Election Information > Dario Borghesan
VOTE YES
Dario Borghesan
Alaska Supreme Court
Justice Borghesan was appointed to the Alaska Supreme Court in July of 2020. This is his first retention election.
Performance Summary
After conducting its performance review, the Judicial Council determined that Justice Borghesan met or exceeded performance standards on all criteria, including professional competence and legal ability, integrity, impartiality and fairness, temperament, diligence, and administrative skills.
The Council also determined that Justice Borghesan met or exceeded educational requirements set by the Alaska Supreme Court, complied with judicial ethics requirements, and made significant contributions to the community and to the administration of justice.
Because Justice Borghesan met or exceeded all performance and professional development standards, the Alaska Judicial
Council recommends a “yes” vote on retention in office.
Performance Findings
The Council conducts a thorough performance review of each judge standing for retention. Key findings for Justice Borghesan include:
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Ratings by justice system professionals: Attorneys who appeared before Justice Borghesan gave him excellent reviews (4.7 overall), as did court employees (4.9 overall). The chart provided summarizes Justice Borghesan's survey ratings.
- Detailed survey ratings can be viewed here.
Professional and community activities: Justice Borghesan made significant contributions to the administration of justice and the community during his term in office.
- Justice Borghesan served as co-chair of the Alaska Supreme Court Access to Justice Committee, a group that oversees the court system’s efforts to reduce barriers and improve access to justice services throughout the State. He also sat on that committee’s rural and tribal justice subcommittee.
- He chaired the Appellate Rules Committee, a group that reviews and adopts revisions to the Alaska Rules of Appellate Procedure.
- Justice Borghesan organized the annual trainings for new appellate law clerks to introduce the new clerks to Alaska’s court rules and practices, as well as key areas of substantive law. Justice Borghesan also organized a public interest job fair for law clerks to help connect them with Alaska employers.
- He participated in programs to mentor and encourage young people to pursue legal careers, including the Color of Justice, a law-related education program designed to promote diversity in the legal profession and judiciary by encouraging diverse youth to consider careers as lawyers and judges.
- More information about Justice Borghesan's professional, educational, and outreach activites can be found here.
Other performance indicators: A review of Justice Borghesan’s financial and conflict of interest statements showed he complied with all disclosure requirements.
Timeliness: Alaska law requires judges’ pay be withheld when a decision has been pending longer than six months. The Council found that Justice Borghesan’s pay was withheld on four occasions in January and February of 2022, as he worked to complete a draft opinion on a particularly complex case. He explained that he completed the draft within two months of the deadline, and since then he has timely completed all opinions assigned to him. He also has implemented efficiencies within his office to keep his opinions on track.
Ethics: There were no public disciplinary proceedings against Justice Borghesan, and the Council’s review found no ethical concerns.
