--- title: "Joel H. Bolger | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/joel-h-bolger-3677" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # Joel H. Bolger Alaska Supreme Court · Judge ## Profile - Court: Alaska Supreme Court - State: Alaska - Role: Judge - Service status: former - Last verified: 2026-10-02 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - In 2018, he was elected Chief Justice, a role he held until his retirement on June 30, 2021 - Joel Harold Bolger is an American jurist best known for serving as Chief Justice of the Alaska Supreme Court from 2018 to 2021 and as an Associate Justice from 2013 to 2021. - Judge, Alaska Court of Appeals, 2008-2013 - Judge, Kodiak Superior Court, 2003-2008 - Judge, Valdez District Court, 1997-2003 ### Education - University of Iowa College of Law — J.D. (1978) - in Economics, University of Iowa — B.S. (1976) ### Additional information - Active pro tem judge, current in 2026 - Bolger announced in November 2020 that he would retire on June 30, 2021. - Bolger authored 194 published opinions between 2008 and 2019, plus 13 dissents and 8 concurrences. - Municipality of Anchorage (2015). - Appointed to the Supreme Court by Governor Sean Parnell on January 25, 2013, succeeding Walter Carpeneti. - Born February 16, 1955, in Carroll, Iowa. - Attorney, Alaska Public Defender Agency - Private practice in Kodiak before appointment to the bench - Remembered for his extensive legal experience, leadership on the Supreme Court, and his unique career path through every level of Alaska’s judiciary. - Practiced law with Jamin, Ebell, Bolger & Gentry, including work on the Exxon Valdez oil spill litigation - Supervised an Alaska Legal Services office in Kodiak - Also known for his public addresses on judicial independence and reform Alaska Public Media. - served as an assistant public defender in Barrow - handling Native allotment cases and public defense work. - His most-cited case is Richardson v. - During his tenure, Bolger was involved in initiatives such as the National Center for State Courts’ Family Justice Initiative and the Alaska Criminal Justice Commission. - After law school, he moved to Alaska, initially as a VISTA volunteer attorney in remote communities such as Dillingham and Barrow ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### photography filming recording Scope: statewide Alaska generally prohibits photographing, filming, and recording in courthouse common areas unless an application is approved, while separate courtroom and adjacent-area rules remain governed by Administrative Rule 50 and Administrative Bulletin No. 45. Evidence excerpt: Except as specifically authorized by this order, photographing, filming, and recording are permitted in common areas inside the courthouse only upon the issuance of an approved application. [Presiding Judges' Statewide Order on Use of Cameras and Electronic Devices in Common Areas of Court Facilities](https://courts.alaska.gov/jord/docs/2023/statewide-electronic-devices.pdf) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### courtroom media requests Scope: statewide Alaska states that media may request permission from a judicial officer for coverage inside a particular courtroom or adjacent area, and the judicial officer rules on those requests. Evidence excerpt: not intended to interfere with or restrict the rights of the media to request permission from a judicial officer to allow media coverage within a particular courtroom or adjacent area [Presiding Judges' Statewide Order on Use of Cameras and Electronic Devices in Common Areas of Court Facilities](https://courts.alaska.gov/jord/docs/2023/statewide-electronic-devices.pdf) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/3677/joel-h-bolger/) - [Official roster](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/3677/joel-h-bolger/) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/3677/joel-h-bolger/) - [Presiding Judges' Statewide Order on Use of Cameras and Electronic Devices in Common Areas of Court Facilities](https://courts.alaska.gov/jord/docs/2023/statewide-electronic-devices.pdf) - [Hearings & Trials](https://courts.alaska.gov/trialcourts/hearings.htm) - [ajc.alaska.gov](https://ajc.alaska.gov/judges/judgformer.html) - [courts.alaska.gov](https://courts.alaska.gov/admin/docs/profile.pdf) - [courts.alaska.gov](https://courts.alaska.gov/main/ctinfo.htm) - [www.ajc.state.ak.us](https://www.ajc.state.ak.us/judges/judgformer.html) - [www.wisbar.org](https://www.wisbar.org/AMC/2026/Documents/Thursday/2Th_PL1_AddressingLawyerShortage.pdf) - [Presiding Judges' Statewide Order on Use of Cameras and Electronic Devices in Common Areas of Court Facilities](https://courts.alaska.gov/jord/docs/2023/statewide-electronic-devices.pdf) - [Hearings & Trials](https://courts.alaska.gov/trialcourts/hearings.htm) - [ajc.alaska.gov](https://ajc.alaska.gov/judges/judgformer.html) - [courts.alaska.gov](https://courts.alaska.gov/admin/docs/profile.pdf) - [courts.alaska.gov](https://courts.alaska.gov/jord/docs/2023/statewide-electronic-devices.pdf) - [courts.alaska.gov](https://courts.alaska.gov/main/ctinfo.htm) - [courts.alaska.gov](https://courts.alaska.gov/trialcourts/hearings.htm) - [www.ajc.state.ak.us](https://www.ajc.state.ak.us/judges/judgformer.html) - [www.wisbar.org](https://www.wisbar.org/AMC/2026/Documents/Thursday/2Th_PL1_AddressingLawyerShortage.pdf) - [ajc.alaska.gov](https://ajc.alaska.gov/judges/judgformer.html) - [courts.alaska.gov](https://courts.alaska.gov/admin/docs/profile.pdf) - [courts.alaska.gov](https://courts.alaska.gov/jord/docs/2023/statewide-electronic-devices.pdf) - [courts.alaska.gov](https://courts.alaska.gov/main/ctinfo.htm) - [courts.alaska.gov](https://courts.alaska.gov/trialcourts/hearings.htm) - [www.ajc.state.ak.us](https://www.ajc.state.ak.us/judges/judgformer.html) - [www.wisbar.org](https://www.wisbar.org/AMC/2026/Documents/Thursday/2Th_PL1_AddressingLawyerShortage.pdf) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/joel-h-bolger-3677", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/joel-h-bolger-3677", "name": "Joel H. 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