--- title: "Michelle Higuchi | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/michelle-higuchi-magistrate-judge-alaska-magistrate-court-kenai-ak" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # Michelle Higuchi Alaska District Court, Kenai · Magistrate Judge ## Profile - Court: Alaska District Court, Kenai - State: Alaska - Role: Magistrate Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-10-02 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Michelle D. Higuchi is a Magistrate Judge for the Kenai District Court in Alaska’s Third Judicial District, appointed in 2022 - Attorney with the Alaska Attorney General's Office - Magistrate Judge in the Kenai District Court, part of Alaska’s Third Judicial District, which includes Anchorage, Cordova, Dillingham, Glennallen, Homer, Kenai, Kodiak, Naknek, Palmer, Sand Point, St. Paul Island, Seward, Unalaska, and Valdez ### Education - Willamette University College of Law — J.D. (1998) - Oregon State University — B.A. (1994) ### Additional information - She has been active in the Alaska Court System since her appointment to the Kenai District Court in 2022. - Higuchi began her legal career in Oregon after earning her J.D., then moved to Alaska in 1999 where she was admitted to the Alaska Bar. - Private practice attorney - As a magistrate judge, Higuchi presides over cases within her jurisdiction under Alaska’s statewide court rules and procedures. - The Alaska Court System governs media access, photography, and recording in courtrooms, with specific rules for common areas and designated courtroom spaces. - Alaska Court System — Magistrate Judges List - Listed on the Alaska Court System’s official roster of magistrate judges. - Michelle Higuchi holds Alaska Bar Number 9911064 and has no public discipline history. - She is affiliated with the, with a mailing address in Kenai, AK. ## 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://courts.alaska.gov/judges/mj.htm#3) - [Official roster](https://courts.alaska.gov/judges/mj.htm#3) - [Alaska Court System official judicial roster](https://courts.alaska.gov/judges/mj.htm#3) - [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) - [courts.alaska.gov](https://courts.alaska.gov/judges/) - [www.courts.alaska.gov](https://www.courts.alaska.gov/judges/mj.htm) - [courts.alaska.gov](https://courts.alaska.gov/judges/mj.htm) - [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) - [Alaska Court System official judicial roster](https://www.courts.alaska.gov/judges/mj.htm) - [Alaska Judges - Alaska Court System](https://courts.alaska.gov/judges/) - [courts.alaska.gov](https://courts.alaska.gov/jord/docs/2023/statewide-electronic-devices.pdf) - [courts.alaska.gov](https://courts.alaska.gov/judges/) - [courts.alaska.gov](https://courts.alaska.gov/trialcourts/hearings.htm) - [www.courts.alaska.gov](https://www.courts.alaska.gov/judges/mj.htm) - [courts.alaska.gov](https://courts.alaska.gov/judges/mj.htm#3) - [courts.alaska.gov](https://courts.alaska.gov/judges/mj.htm) - [courts.alaska.gov](https://courts.alaska.gov/jord/docs/2023/statewide-electronic-devices.pdf) - [courts.alaska.gov](https://courts.alaska.gov/judges/) - [courts.alaska.gov](https://courts.alaska.gov/judges/mj.htm#3) - [courts.alaska.gov](https://courts.alaska.gov/trialcourts/hearings.htm) - [www.courts.alaska.gov](https://www.courts.alaska.gov/judges/mj.htm) - [courts.alaska.gov](https://courts.alaska.gov/judges/mj.htm) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/michelle-higuchi-magistrate-judge-alaska-magistrate-court-kenai-ak", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/michelle-higuchi-magistrate-judge-alaska-magistrate-court-kenai-ak", "name": "Michelle Higuchi | KnowJudges", "description": "Michelle Higuchi, Alaska District Court, Kenai. 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Shared court context only; case-type restrictions, exceptions, later amendments and case orders apply. This is not a personal preference or a complete rules inventory. [Official source](https://courts.alaska.gov/jord/docs/2023/statewide-electronic-devices.pdf). Collected 2026-07-26.