Marianna Carpeneti
Juneau Superior Court | First Judicial District
Judge Carpeneti was appointed to the Juneau Superior Court in December of 2021. This is her first retention election.
Performance Summary
The Alaska Judicial Council made no findings or recommendation on Judge Carpeneti.
The Council examined surveys and reviews from attorneys, court employees, jurors, and other user groups familiar with the judge’s work, analysis of the judge’s financial disclosure documents, analysis of how often the judge’s decisions were affirmed on appeal, whether their pay was withheld for untimely decisions, how often the judge was disqualified from a case, whether the judge followed standards of ethical conduct and continuing education, input from the public, and the judge’s demonstrated commitment to the administration of justice and the community.
The Council's evaluation process included an interview with Judge Carpeneti, and an opportunity for Judge Carpeneti to comment on her own performance.
“The most satisfying parts of this work include interacting with citizens who report for jury duty, and working to ensure that everyone who comes into my courtroom feels respected and heard. I also enjoy the thinking this job requires, understanding what the parties need from the court, and providing decisions that allow litigants to move on with their lives…. Mostly, performing in this role makes me feel grateful to live in this community….”
— Judge Carpeneti
Detailed Performance Findings
The Council evaluated Judge Carpeneti’s performance on legal ability, integrity, impartiality and fairness, judicial temperament, and diligence and administrative skills.
A summary of the Council’s information on Judge Carpeneti's performance is presented here. Complete reports are posted in the source documents below.
-
▼ Legal Ability
Did the judge demonstrate knowledge of substantive law, evidence and procedure, and clarity and precision in their work?
Attorneys familiar with Judge Carpeneti’s work rated her legal ability as good. See chart below for numerical ratings. Attorneys who appeared in cases before her gave positive reviews.
Jurors who served in Judge Carpeneti’s courtroom rated her attentiveness, intelligence and skill as excellent.
In Alaska, a party who disagrees with a trial judge’s decision can appeal to a higher court. The appeal court analyzes the judge’s decision and issues an opinion. The Council reviews all the opinions and analyzes how often and why individual judges are affirmed or reversed as one measure of the judge’s legal ability. Judge Carpeneti had seven cases appealed and decided in the evaluation period, with an affirmance rate of 97% (Excellent). A review of the opinions raised no concerns about her legal ability. For more details, see the Appellate Affirmance Report, linked below.
Judge Carpeneti met or exceeded educational requirements set by the Alaska Supreme Court.
-
▼ Impartiality & Fairness
Did the judge demonstrate a sense of fairness and justice and treat all parties equally?
Attorneys and court employees rated Judge Carpeneti’s impartiality and fairness as excellent. Social service professionals rated her impartiality and fairness as good. Peace and probation officers rated her as poor. See chart below for numerical ratings.
Jurors who served in Judge Carpeneti’s courtroom rated her impartiality as excellent. See chart below for numerical ratings.
Court rules allow a litigant at the beginning of a case to file a request for change of judge. Parties whose cases were assigned to Judge Carpeneti seldom asked for a different judge.
-
▼ Integrity
Was the judge's conduct free from impropriety or the appearance of impropriety, and did the judge make decisions without regard to possible public criticism?
Attorneys and court employees rated Judge Carpeneti’s integrity as excellent. Social service professionals rated her good. Peace and probation officers rated her below acceptable. See chart below for numerical ratings.
Judge Carpeneti filed financial disclosure statements with the Alaska Public Offices Commission and separate conflict-of-interest forms with the court system as required, and the Council found no items of concern in these disclosures.
The Council confirmed that Judge Carpeneti was not the subject of any public disciplinary proceedings before the Alaska Commission on Judicial Conduct, and that she followed standards of ethical conduct for judges.
Judges must disqualify themselves from cases where they have a conflict of interest or their impartiality might reasonably be questioned. The Council found no concern about Judge Carpeneti’s performance on this requirement.
-
▼ Judicial Temperament
Was the judge courteous and free from arrogance, and did the judge manifest human understanding and compassion?
Court employees rated Judge Carpeneti’s judicial temperament excellent. Attorneys and social service professionals rated her temperament as good. Peace and probation officers rated her below acceptable. See chart below for numerical ratings.
Jurors who served in Judge Carpeneti’s courtroom rated her excellent on respectful and courteous behavior.
-
▼ Diligence & Administrative Skills
Was the judge prepared for court proceedings, did the judge work diligently, and was the judge reasonably prompt in making decisions?
Court employees rated Judge Carpeneti’s diligence and administrative skills excellent. Attorneys and social service professionals rated her as good. Peace and probation officers rated her as poor. See chart below for numerical ratings.
Under Alaska law, a judge cannot receive a paycheck if they have any decision undecided or uncompleted for more than six months. Each pay cycle, judges must sign an affidavit declaring that no matter referred to them has remained undecided or uncompleted for more than six months. Judge Carpeneti's pay was withheld one time for one pay period in 2024 due to an undecided matter.
Judge Carpeneti demonstrated commitment to improving the administation of justice and to community outreach. Judge Carpeneti:
- Serves on the Jury Improvement Committee;
- Chairs the Juneau Courthouse Improvement Committee;
- Made an educational presentation to a local Rotary club; and
- Hosts local students in her courtroom to learn about courtroom processes.
See Judge Carpeneti's retention questionnaire for more information.
The Judicial Council distributed electronic surveys to attorneys, court employees, jurors, peace and probation officers, and social service professionals asking them to rate Judge Carpeneti’s performance on key skills. Survey ratings from these groups are shown in the charts below.
