Alaska Chief Justice Craig Stowers presided over formal swearing in Friday. Reigh, a longtime Dillingham attorney and magistrate, was tapped for the job by Gov. Bill Walker, after Pat Douglass retired last fall.
Last Friday, Tina Reigh was formally installed as Superior Court Judge for Dillingham. She is only the third person to fill that role, following Judges Pat Douglass and Fred Torrisi.
Judge Tina Reigh was appointed to the Dillingham Superior Court by Governor Bill Walker in February. Friday’s installation formally marked that appointment.
Chief Justice Craig Stowers presided over the ceremony. The installation traditionally includes a judge from every level of the state court system. However, due to car trouble, Judge Vanessa H. White of the Palmer Superior Court was the only other judge able to attend.
Justice Stowers administered the oath of office before delivering his formal remarks. He emphasized the importance of respect for the law.
“The greatest hazard a judge faces is not found without. The greatest danger, the most constant and appalling danger, lurks within the judge herself. It is what the judge would call her conscience, what others refer to as her preconceptions or predilections, and what those who disagree with her denounce as her prejudice," said Stowers.
Other speakers seemed confident that Judge Reigh will avoid that danger. Retired judge Fred Torrisi, the first on the Dillingham Superior Court bench, backed Reigh for the job.
“As I wrote to the governor: Tina was a lawyer’s lawyer, direct but courteous, smart, focused upon the issue at hand, and a local to boot. I’m sure that you’re going to do a great job for Bristol Bay and the people of Alaska. I’m happy to see you in that position," he said Friday.
During the vetting process, Reigh had the backing of many in the community. On Friday, Kim Williams of the Curyung Tribal Council reiterated some of that support.
“You will have impartiality and your court decisions will be based on the law and the facts of a given case, not on political convictions, personal views, or religious beliefs of those involved, or on factors of a party’s race, gender, economic circumstances, or social status," she said.
Judge Reigh vacated the position of Magistrate Judge when she was appointed to the Superior Court. The magistrate position has been filled by Tonya O’Connor, who is also Clerk of Court. Reigh took time to honor O’Connor at the installation.
“It’s really hard being in a small place and transitioning from being a non-judge frankly to a judge and Tanya’s been doing this judgely thing on the weekends for about a decade now, I don’t know if people know that or not," said Reigh. "She’s been a deputy magistrate doing on-call for a long long time. So she’s not new to this necessarily, but it’s different when you’re doing it during the week.”
Judge Reigh also took time to thank her colleagues and her family, including her parents.
“My parents are the people who obviously, for those of us who are lucky enough to have amazing parents, they instilled in me really strong work ethic, they instilled in me the importance of education, and being a professional, and being ethical in all that you do, and so for them to be here for this is really special. So thanks Mom and Dad.”
Judge Reigh came to Dillingham as an attorney for Alaska Legal Services thirteen years ago. She served as a magistrate judge for three years. Her husband Clint Reigh is an educator and fisherman, and the two have three children.
Contact the author at allison@kdlg.org or (907) 842-5281.