Amy K. Welch
Fairbanks Superior Court | Fourth Judicial District
Judge Welch was appointed to the Fairbanks Superior Court in June of 2023. This is her first judicial retention election.
Performance Summary
The Alaska Judicial Council finds that Judge Welch 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 Welch, and an opportunity for Judge Welch to comment on her own performance.
“The transition from being a litigator to a judicial officer has been both rewarding and rocky. I enjoy the job, itself. Both in the courtroom and in chambers I feel a great sense of accomplishment in tackling and solving legal problems.”
- Judge Welch
Detailed Performance Findings
The Council evaluated Judge Welch's performance on legal ability, integrity, impartiality and fairness, judicial temperament, and diligence and administrative skills. Judge Welch met or exceeded the standard in each of these areas.
A summary of the Council’s findings on Judge Welch'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 Welch’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 Welch’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 Welch had no cases appealed and decided in the evaluation period.
Judge Welch 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 and court employees rated Judge Welch's impartiality and fairness as excellent. Social service professionals rated her as acceptable. Peace and probation officers rated her below acceptable. See chart below for numerical ratings.
Jurors who served in Judge Welch’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 Welch 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 and court employees rated Judge Welch’s integrity as excellent. Social service professionals rated her as good. Peace and probation officers rated her as acceotable. See chart below for numerical ratings.
Judge Welch 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 Welch 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 Welch’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 and court employees rated Judge Welch’s judicial temperament as excellent. Social service professionals and peace and probation officers rated her as acceptable. See chart below for numerical ratings.
Jurors who served in Judge Welch’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 and court employees rated Judge Welch’s diligence and administrative skills as excellent. Social service professionals rated her as good. Peace and probation officers rated her as 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 Welch was paid on schedule, and she certified that she had no untimely decisions.
Judge Welch demonstrated commitment to improving the administation of justice and to community outreach. Judge Welch:
- Serves on the court system’s Criminal Pattern Jury Instruction Committee, a group that updates criminal case jury instructions as needed;
- Participated in a working group to update court system policies for registering protective orders issued by Tribes and other states;
- Conducted courthouse tours, mock trials, and other opportunities for students at local schools to learn about the court system and the role of judges; and
- Met with the tribal council in Fort Yukon to dialogue and discuss concerns about the justice system.
See Judge Welch's retention questionnaire for more information.
The Judicial Council distributed electronic surveys to attorneys, court employees, and jurors asking them to rate Judge Welch's performance on key skills. Survey ratings from these groups are shown in the charts below.
