John Sedwick
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John W. Sedwick is the chief judge for the United States District Court for the District of Alaska. He joined the court in 1992 after being nominated by President George H.W. Bush. He began his service as chief judge of the court in 2002.
Early life and education
A native Pennsylvanian, Sedwick graduated from Dartmouth College with his Bachelor's Degree in 1968 and later graduated from Harvard Law School with his Juris Doctor in 1972. Sedwick also served as a active duty U.S. Air Force Sergeant from 1969 to 1971. [1]
Legal career
Sedwick served the majority of his legal career as a private practice attorney licensed in the State of Alaska from 1972 to 1981 and again from 1982 to 1992. From 1981 to 1982, Sedwick served as the Director of the Division of Land and Water Management for the Alaska Department of Natural Resources. [1]
Federal judicial career
On the recommendation of U.S. Senator Ted Stevens and Frank Murkowski, Sedwick was nominated by President George H.W. Bush on July 2, 1992, to a seat vacated by Andrew Kleinfeld after Klienfield was elevated to the Ninth Circuit. Sedwick was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on October 8, 1992 on unanimous consent and received his commission on October 9, 1992[2]. Sedwick has served as the chief judge of the court since 2002. [1]
Notable cases
Alaska House corruption
Judge Sedwick was the judge in the corruption trial of two former members of the Alaska House of Representatives who were convicted of corruption and bribery in office. [3]
Sedwick will decide in 2009 or 2010 if former State Representatives Pete Kott and Vic Kohring should be re-tried as their lawyers have argued that prosecutors have failed to disclose gifts received from the same federal contractors that were responsible in reversing the conviction of US Senator Ted Stevens in 2008. Despite an appeal filed to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the policy of the Ninth Circuit requires that Judge Sedwick must rule to grant a new trial before the appeals court can hear any oral arguments. [3]
On January 13, 2010, Judge Sedwick ruled that he would not grant a new trial to Alaska House Speaker Pete Kott. Despite the decision and on the judge's expectation that Kott would appeal to the Ninth Circuit, he can remain free on bond during the appeal process[4].
Hinger v. Carpeneti
- See Hinger v. Carpeneti for more case detail.
- See Miller, Kirk and Ekstrom vs. Carpeneti, opinion by John Sedwick
Hinger v. Carpeneti is a federal lawsuit that challenges the constitutionality of the judicial selection process in Alaska. The lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the District of Alaska on July 2, 2009. The complaint says that Alaska's judicial selection system, which is a variant of the Missouri Plan, gives disproportionate influence to attorneys and, in so doing, violates the Equal Protection Clause of the United States Constitution, and 42 USC § 1983.[5][6]
Judge Sedwick dismissed the suit. [7][8]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Judge Sedwick's Biography from the Federal Judicial Center.
- ↑ "THOMAS" Nomination of John Sedwick, February 5, 2009
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Associated Press" Judge to decide new trials for Alaska Lawmakers, August 31, 2009
- ↑ "Fairbanks News Miner" Federal judge says former Alaska House speaker got a fair trial, January 14, 2010
- ↑ Alaska Employment Law, "Attack on Constitutionality of Alaska Judicial Selection Plan", July 6, 2009
- ↑ "Lawsuit challenges Alaska judicial nomination process" Associated Press, August 26, 2009
- ↑ "Lawsuit challenging judge choice tossed" Anchorage Daily News, September 11, 2009
- ↑ "Alaska Suit on Judges Is Dismissed" Associated Press, September 12, 2009
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