AJC Home > Retention Election Information > Matthew Christian
VOTE YES
Matthew Christian
Fairbanks District Court | Fourth Judicial District
Judge Christian was appointed to the Fairbanks District Court in November of 2013. This is his third retention election.
Performance Summary
After conducting its performance review, the Judicial Council determined that Judge Christian 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 Judge Christian met or exceeded educational requirements set by the Alaska Supreme Court, complied with judicial ethics requirements, and made significant contributions to the community and the administration of justice.
Because Judge Christian met or exceeded all performance and educational 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 Judge Christian include:
-
Ratings by justice system professionals: Attorneys who appeared before Judge Christian gave him excellent reviews (4.5 overall), as did court employees (4.8 overall), and peace and probation officers (4.4 overall). The chart provided summarizes Judge Christian’s survey ratings.
Juror Survey:Jurors who served in Judge Christian’s courtroom were surveyed about his performance, and they gave him excellent ratings. The chart provided summarizes Judge Christian's juror survey ratings.- Detailed survey ratings can be viewed here.
Professional and community activities: Judge Christian made significant contributions to the administration of justice and the community.
- Judge Christian served as a Magistrate Training Judge, a role that involves training magistrate judges.
- He served as the Deputy Presiding Judge for the Fourth Judicial District, an administrative role with responsibility for the efficient functioning of the trial courts in the Fourth Judicial District.
- Judge Christian served on the court system’s Judicial Conference Planning Committee, a group responsible for planning annual training for judges.
- 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 Judge Christian's professional, educational, and outreach activites can be found here.
Other performance indicators: A review of Judge Christian’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 verified that Judge Christian was paid on schedule, and he certified that he had no untimely decisions.
Ethics: There were no public disciplinary proceedings against Judge Christian, and the Council’s review found no ethical concerns.
