New judges appointed in Fairbanks, Juneau, Kenai

Three new Alaska Superior Court judges have been appointed by Gov. Bill Walker to serve in Fairbanks, Juneau and Kenai.

Walker said on June 2 that all three appointees would bring to the bench the integrity, honesty and fairness that has defined their careers to date, and that he is grateful for their willingness to serve.

Fairbanks appointee Thomas Temple has practiced law in Alaska for over 16 years, after having served in the Marine Corps during the Gulf War, then working his way through college and law school at George Mason University.

Army Mead, named to the Juneau court, began her career as a law clerk in Ketchikan after graduating from Tulane University Law School and worked her way up to become the city’s assistant district attorney. She moved to Juneau to work in private practice, spent time working on Medicaid issues for the Alaska Attorney General’s office and became the city’s municipal attorney in 2013.

Lance Joanis, a graduate of the University of Idaho College of Law, has worked for the state Department of Law as an assistant district attorney in Anchorage and Kenai, a district attorney in Bethel and Kenai, and as the assistant attorney general in Kenai’s Child Protection Section since 2011.

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