Laura Hartz
Anchorage Superior Court | Third Judicial District
Judge Hartz was appointed to the Anchorage Superior Court in January of 2023. This is her first retention election.
Performance Summary
The Alaska Judicial Council finds that Judge Hartz met or exceeded performance standards and recommends a "YES" vote for her retention in office.
This conclusion is based on 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 Hartz, and an opportunity for Judge Hartz to comment on her own performance.
“Being a judge is equal parts challenging and immensely rewarding….I endeavor to issue timely decisions, particularly after an evidentiary hearing.”
— Judge Hartz
Detailed Performance Findings
The Council evaluated Judge Hartz’s performance on legal ability, integrity, impartiality and fairness, judicial temperament, and diligence and administrative skills. Judge Hartz met or exceeded the standard in each of these areas.
A summary of the Council’s findings on Judge Hartz's performance is presented here. Complete reports are posted in the source documents below.
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▼ Legal Ability
Did the judge demonstrate knowledge of substantive law, evidence and procedure, and clarity and precision in their work?
Attorneys familiar with Judge Hartz’s work rated her legal ability as excellent. See chart below for numerical ratings. Attorneys who appeared in cases before her gave positive reviews.
Jurors who served in Judge Hartz’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 Hartz had three cases appealed and decided in the evaluation period. This number of cases was too small to use as a statistical performance measure. She was affirmed in all three cases. A review of the opinions raised no concerns about her legal ability. For more details, see the Appellate Affirmance Report, linked below.
Judge Hartz met or exceeded educational requirements set by the Alaska Supreme Court.
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▼ Impartiality & Fairness
Did the judge demonstrate a sense of fairness and justice and treat all parties equally?
Attorneys, court employees, and social service professionals rated Judge Hartz’s impartiality and fairness as excellent. See chart below for numerical ratings.
Jurors who served in Judge Hartz’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 Hartz seldom asked for a different judge.
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▼ 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, court employees, and social service professionals rated Judge Hartz’s integrity as excellent. See chart below for numerical ratings.
Judge Hartz 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 Hartz 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 Hartz’s performance on this requirement.
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▼ Judicial Temperament
Was the judge courteous and free from arrogance, and did the judge manifest human understanding and compassion?
Attorneys, court employees, and social service professionals rated Judge Hartz’s judicial temperament as excellent. See chart below for numerical ratings.
Jurors who served in Judge Hartz’s courtroom rated her as excellent on respectful and courteous behavior.
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▼ Diligence & Administrative Skills
Was the judge prepared for court proceedings, did the judge work diligently, and was the judge reasonably prompt in making decisions?
Attorneys, court employees, and social service professionals rated Judge Hartz’s diligence and administrative skills as excellent. 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. The Council verified that Judge Hartz was paid on schedule, and she certified that she had no untimely decisions.
Judge Hartz demonstrated commitment to improving the administation of justice and to community outreach. Judge Hartz:
- Serves on the court system’s Court Improvement Project, a group focused on improving outcomes in child welfare cases;
- Chairs the Child in Need of Aid working group;
- Serves on the planning committee for the court system’s Success Inside and Out conference, a program that helps incarcerated women re-enter the community;
- Judged and volunteered at mock trial competitions at local high schools and Mat Su Middle College School;
- Volunteered at a MLK Day legal clinic;
- Gave an educational presentation to a community council about the responsibilities of a superior court judge in Anchorage;
- Participated as a panelist to educate foster parents about the goal of reunification in child welfare cases;
- Hosted a middle school class in her courtroom; and
- Educated Community Justice Workers about domestic violence protective proceedings.
See Judge Hartz's retention questionnaire for more information.
The Judicial Council distributed electronic surveys to attorneys, court employees, jurors, and social service professionals asking them to rate Judge Hartz’s performance on key skills. Survey ratings from these groups are shown in the charts below.
