--- title: "Pamela Hess | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/pamela-hess-magistrate-judge-alaska-magistrate-court-nome-ak" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # Pamela Hess Alaska District Court, Nome · Magistrate Judge ## Profile - Court: Alaska District Court, Nome - 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 - Alaska Court System Judicial Roster: Lists Pamela Hess as the Nome Magistrate Judge appointed in 2019 - It details her upbringing in rural Alaska, high-school participation in the Alaska Color of Justice Program, mentorship beginning in 2005 and participation in the American Indian Law Center Pre-Law Institute - Nome magistrate judge and Gonzaga Law alumna - Worked with the Public Defender Agency, District Attorney’s Office, and as a Judicial Law Clerk - served as Clerk of Court and Deputy Magistrate at Nome Trial Court - She now volunteers with the Color of Justice Program - Responsibilities: Conducts hearings, manages trial court activities, and promotes fair, just, and accessible justice in her district ### Education - Gonzaga University’s January 12, 2026 feature directly identifies Pamela Hess (Smith), JD class of 2016, as a current Nome magistrate - Gonzaga University School of Law — J.D. (2016) ### Additional information - Community and Legal Service: Active in the Alaska Color of Justice Program, mentoring youth—especially Alaska Native youth—into law Participates in the CINA Court Improvement Project, Association of Alaska Magistrates, and statewide magistrate conferences Advocates for collaboration between state courts and tribal courts to improve legal access - Location: Nome, Alaska (Second Judicial District) - Case Types: Criminal, civil, domestic violence, small claims, minor offenses, delinquency, CINA cases, and mediation facilitation - Magistrate Judge and Standing Master for the, serving in Nome, Alaska, where she presides over criminal, civil, domestic violence, small claims, and minor offense cases, as well as delinquency and Child in Need of Aid (CINA) matters - Do not use generic praise as factual biography ## 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#2) - [Official roster](https://courts.alaska.gov/judges/mj.htm#2) - [Alaska Court System official judicial roster](https://courts.alaska.gov/judges/mj.htm#2) - [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) - [www.gonzaga.edu](https://www.gonzaga.edu/news-events/stories/a-journey-of-mentorship-impact-and-justice-in-alaska) - [courts.alaska.gov](https://courts.alaska.gov/judges/mj.htm) - [Alaska Court System official judicial roster](https://www.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/trialcourts/hearings.htm) - [www.courts.alaska.gov](https://www.courts.alaska.gov/judges/mj.htm) - [www.gonzaga.edu](https://www.gonzaga.edu/news-events/stories/a-journey-of-mentorship-impact-and-justice-in-alaska) - [courts.alaska.gov](https://courts.alaska.gov/judges/mj.htm#2) - [courts.alaska.gov](https://courts.alaska.gov/judges/mj.htm) - [www.linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/in/pamela-hess-4b709387) - [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#2) - [courts.alaska.gov](https://courts.alaska.gov/trialcourts/hearings.htm) - [www.courts.alaska.gov](https://www.courts.alaska.gov/judges/mj.htm) - [www.gonzaga.edu](https://www.gonzaga.edu/news-events/stories/a-journey-of-mentorship-impact-and-justice-in-alaska) - [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/pamela-hess-magistrate-judge-alaska-magistrate-court-nome-ak", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/pamela-hess-magistrate-judge-alaska-magistrate-court-nome-ak", "name": "Pamela Hess | KnowJudges", "description": "Pamela Hess, Alaska District Court, Nome. 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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.