Susan M. Carney at a glance
- Current role
- Chief Justice
- Court
- Alaska Supreme Court
- Jurisdiction
- Alaska · State
- Judicial service
- Active
Susan M. Carney
Chief Justice · Alaska Supreme Court
Biography
Professional career
- American attorney and jurist who served as Chief Justice of the Alaska Supreme Court since January 10, 2025, while also continuing as an associate justice of the court
- Law clerk for Alaska Supreme Court Justice Jay Rabinowitz; assistant public defender in Anchorage and Fairbanks; assistant public advocate based in Fairbanks from 1998 until her Supreme Court appointment
Education
- Bachelor’s degree in history and literature from Radcliffe College (Harvard University) and J.D. cum laude from Harvard Law School.
Additional information
- In 2025, she led the first majority-female Alaska Supreme Court in history.
- Appointed to the Alaska Supreme Court in May 2016.
- Born June 17, 1961, in Worcester, Massachusetts.
- Recognized for her deep understanding of rural Alaska’s legal and social dynamics due to her extensive trial experience.
- Carney has emphasized the importance of judicial diversity and the role of women in law, noting the growth of opportunities for women in legal careers.
- As Chief Justice, Carney presides over the Alaska Supreme Court’s work, manages the court’s administrative functions, and represents the judiciary in public and legislative matters.
Applicable Court Rules & Procedures
Recording and broadcasting
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.
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 ↗
Courtroom Media Requests
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.
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 areaPresiding Judges' Statewide Order on Use of Cameras and Electronic Devices in Common Areas of Court Facilities ↗
Published courtroom rules
Shared court rules
Presiding Judges' Statewide Order on Use of Cameras and Electronic Devices in Common Areas of Court Facilities
Alaska Supreme Court
Scope is limited to the court class in the source claim. 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 ↗ · Collected 2026-07-26Sources
Identity source checked October 2, 2026.
Biography sources checked October 2, 2026.
Alaska Court System official judicial roster
Identity source · HTML · Source checked August 22, 2026
View Alaska Court System official judicial roster ↗Presiding Judges' Statewide Order on Use of Cameras and Electronic Devices in Common Areas of Court Facilities
Statewide source · PDF · Source checked July 26, 2026
View Presiding Judges' Statewide Order on Use of Cameras and Electronic Devices in Common Areas of Court Facilities ↗