Court Calendars | Court Records | Defensive Driving Courses (DMV) | Family Law Self-Help Center | Filing Fees | Forms | Juror Information | Jury Instructions | Name Index | Public Outreach | Records Requests | Therapeutic Courts | Transcribers | Trial Court Opinions | Trial Court Publications | Trial Court Reports
There are three trial-level courts in Alaska: superior, district and magistrate.
The superior court is the trial court of general jurisdiction. Each superior court is located in one of Alaska's four judicial districts. The boundaries of the four judicial districts are defined by state statute. The judicial districts define the boundaries for judicial retention elections at which voters indicate their approval or rejection of the judges and justices.
The Alaska Constitution provides that the legislature shall establish such lower courts as may be necessary. In 1959, the legislature created a district court for each judicial district and granted to the supreme court the power to increase or decrease the number of district court judges within each judicial district.
Magistrates preside over certain district court matters in areas of the state where services of a full-time district court judge are not required. Some magistrates serve more than one court location. Magistrates also serve in metropolitan areas to handle routine matters and to ease the workload of the district court.
Additional information about the judges and justices, jurisdiction, and composition of Alaska's courts is available on the Court Information page.
| Court Calendars |
All trial court calendars updated every hour on the hour, except Anchorage, Juneau and Palmer, which are updated at the following times:
| Anchorage |
|
||
| Juneau | 5:00 pm | ||
| Palmer | 11:30 am and 4:00 pm |
Trial court calendars for Anchorage and Palmer include traffic matters and minor offense cases. Other court calendars do not include these case types.
| Anchorage | Barrow Bethel Cordova Dillingham Fairbanks Glennallen Homer Juneau 
|
Kenai Ketchikan Kodiak Kotzebue Nome Palmer
Petersburg Seward Sitka |
Unalaska Valdez Wrangell |
| Court Records |
The Alaska Court System is in the process of installing and converting case records to CourtView. CourtView is an electronic case management system. You will be able to view the docket, case summary, party information, scheduled events and case disposition for all public case records.
Cases filed prior to installation of CourtView will be converted to the new system; however, the information available for those cases will be limited to what was captured in the old system.
The following is a list of courts now using CourtView and their conversion date:
Court Conversion Date Palmer August 2, 2002 Anchorage October 20, 2003
Upcoming conversions:
Court Conversion Date Fairbanks
| Family Law Self-Help Center |
The Family Law Self-Help Center is a public service provided by the Alaska Court System dedicated to helping self-represented people achieve a better understanding of family law procedures, to increase access to family law courts, and to facilitate quicker resolution of family law matters.
| Filing Fees |
Filing fees are set forth in Administrative Rule 9, Fee Schedule.
| Forms |
Legal form books provide sample language you may use on documents to file with the court. Some forms, such as those prepared by the Alaska Court System, are fill-in-the-blank, while others merely provide language that you will need to tailor to your situation. It is important to note that forms are not available for every situation. You will often have to create documents without the help of examples, and you should consider consulting an attorney to assist you. Each person's legal situation is unique. Court staff cannot advise you about what language to use and library staff cannot select forms for you.
The Alaska Court System Forms Book contains official forms produced by the Court System. Some of those forms are available on the Court's website. The forms are also available in print at all court locations, and the Forms Book is available for review at the Anchorage, Juneau and Fairbanks law libraries.
The Anchorage Legal Secretaries Handbook provides explanations of some legal procedures and sample language that may help you prepare documents in the areas of adoption, bankruptcy, divorce, and probate. The Anchorage Legal Secretaries Handbook is available for review at the Anchorage, Juneau and Fairbanks law libraries and at the clerk's offices of the Anchorage, Kenai and Palmer courts.
General form books, such as West's Legal Forms , American Jurisprudence Legal Forms and Federal Practice and Procedure are available at the Anchorage, Juneau and Fairbanks law libraries for review.
The Court System produces explanatory pamphlets covering topics such as bail, Anchorage traffic court, Child In Need of Aid proceedings, mental health commitments, misdemeanor arraignments, and minor offenses. The publications are available at all court locations statewide, and a few publications are available on the Court's website.
| Juror Information |
Alaska Trial Juror Information
| Jury Instructions |
Jury instructions are used by the trial judge to instruct members of the jury on the law applicable in the case before them. Lawyers may also use jury instructions as they prepare for trial to ensure they address all the elements of their case.
The Alaska Civil Pattern Jury Instructions and Alaska Criminal Pattern Jury Instructions are available online on the Court's website and in print and electronic format from the Alaska Bar Association. These instructions have not been approved or promulgated by any court or the Alaska Bar Association.
| Name Index |
The trial court Name Index database allows you to search for trial court cases that have been filed with the Alaska Court System using a person's name. You can use the information you find here to request copies of documents from the court. Trial court records are not available online.
| Public Outreach |
| Records Requests |
Requests for copies of case files should be submitted in writing to the records department or clerk of court where the case was filed. A complete list of Alaska Court System contact information is available on our website. Email requests for copies are not accepted.
Your written request for copies should include:
Records in some proceedings, such as juvenile matters, are confidential and only parties to the case are allowed access to the file.
| Therapeutic Courts |
| Transcribers |
The Alaska Court System has an Open Solicitation (NOS
ACS-01-01)
to address its on-going need for qualified transcribers to prepare official
transcripts of court proceedings.
If you have not already responded to this Solicitation and wish to do so, you may obtain a copy from the Court's website, or from:
Alaska Court SystemYou may also contact Mary Miller of the Transcripts Division at mmiller@courts.state.ak.us. Please email her with transcript-related questions only. All other correspondence should be directed to webmaster@courts.state.ak.us.
Purchasing Office
820 West 4th Avenue
Anchorage, Alaska 99501
Manual of Transcript Procedures (TF-410)
and Appendices
| Trial Court Opinions |
The Alaska Bar Association archives selected trial court opinions on its website.
| Trial Court Publications |
Administrative Appeals - Instructions for Administrative
Agencies is an addendum to the Alaska Court System Appeals Manual which outlines
the procedures administrative agencies should follow in the event of an appeal
of its decision.
| Trial Court Reports |
Anchorage Reports
Fairbanks Reports
| Rev. 16 March 2004 © Alaska Court System www.state.ak.us/courts |
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