Christina "Tina" Reigh
Dillingham Superior Court | Third Judicial District
Judge Reigh was appointed to the Dillingham Superior Court in February of 2017. This is her second judicial retention election.
Performance Summary
The Alaska Judicial Council finds that Judge Reigh 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 Reigh, and an opportunity for Judge Reigh to comment on her own performance.
"It has been an honor to serve as a Superior Court Judge since 2017. I have grown as a judge throughout my tenure and have enjoyed the challenges each day presents. With each case I handle I strive to provide an unbiased, thoughtful approach to resolve the disputes that come before me."
— Judge Reigh
Detailed Performance Findings
The Council evaluated Judge Reigh's performance on legal ability, integrity, impartiality and fairness, judicial temperament, and diligence and administrative skills. Judge Reigh met or exceeded the standard in each of these areas.
A summary of the Council’s findings on Judge Reigh'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 Reigh’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 Reigh’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 Reigh had 19 cases appealed and decided in the evaluation period, with an affirmance rate of 75% (Good). A review of the opinions raised no concerns about her legal ability. For more details, see the Appellate Affirmance Report, linked below.
Judge Reigh 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 Reigh’s impartiality and fairness as excellent. Peace and probation officers rated her as poor. See chart below for numerical ratings.
Jurors who served in Judge Reigh’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 Reigh 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 Reigh’s integrity as excellent. Peace and probation officers rated her below acceptable. See chart below for numerical ratings.
Judge Reigh 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 Reigh 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 Reigh’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 Reigh’s judicial temperament as excellent. Peace and probation officers rated her below acceptable. See chart below for numerical ratings.
Jurors who served in Judge Reigh’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 Reigh’s diligence and administrative skills as excellent. Peace and probation officers rated her below acceptable. 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 Reigh was paid on schedule, and she certified that she had no untimely decisions.
Judge Reigh demonstrated commitment to improving the administation of justice and to community outreach. Judge Reigh:
- Serves on the court system’s Child in Need of Aid Rules Committee, a group that drafts, reviews and recommends improvements in child welfare case procedures to the Alaska Supreme Court;
- Serves on the Statewide Magistrate Judge Evaluation Panel reviewing the performance of magistrate judges who are seeking another term in office;
- Serves on the Children’s Justice Act Task Force;
- Served as a mentor judge for two newer judges located in single-judge courthouses; and
- Worked with local schools to bring students to the courthouse for mock trials.
See Judge Reigh'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 Reigh’s performance on key skills. Survey ratings from these groups are shown in the charts below.
