The Alaska Native Brotherhood Hall was standing room only on June 9 for a special ceremony. In front of friends, family, a bevy of state troopers in the wings, and a string of justices and judges clad in black robes looking on from the stage behind him, Jude Pate took his oath of office, becoming the 27th Justice of the Alaska Supreme Court. 

As he finished his oath, the crowd roared, cheering Pate on in the first of two spontaneous standing ovations he received during the ceremony. Over the last several decades, Pate served as counsel for the Sitka Tribe of Alaska, in private practice, as a public defender, and most recently, as Sitka’s Superior Court Judge. It was clear from the jubilant energy in the room that Pate had touched many corners of the community, said Chief Justice Peter Maassen.

“Which begs the question, why would someone who had such a great life in this town, in this community, take a job that requires him to spend a lot of its work life in Juneau?” Maassen asked. “But I have to think that Jude’s commitment to public service and doing the most he can for his community, not just Sitka, but all of the state, has proven strong enough to compel him on to this next step.” 

Pate was appointed to the court by Governor Mike Dunleavy earlier this year. He is the first Justice from Sitka and the first justice from Southeast since Justice Bud Carpeneti retired in 2013.

After Pate donned his own black robe, and took his place among the justices, several community members spoke about his impact in Sitka, and the bittersweet occasion. 

Tribal Council member Yeidikook’áa (Dionne Brady-Howard) said that Pate was the protégé of her grandfather, the late William Brady, longtime tribal court judge. She said the community was parting with Pate with “reluctance and relief.”

“Relief because he is bringing that tribal perspective, as someone who has worked not just for a tribe, but worked with a tribe, and in these times, that’s a subject that is bound to continue to come up a lot,” she said. “But at this point, the responsibility is completely on you, and what you choose to do with this gift that we are so reluctant in giving you…we hope that you will remain open to the perspectives, that as someone who’s worked so closely for us and with us, that you will listen with open ears and open hearts.” 

And Yeidikook’áa said using the ANB Hall for the ceremony was particularly appropriate. 

“This is the place where our numerous battles over the years to protect our traditional lifestyles and also our traditional food gathering have been discussed and debated,” she said. “Where we’ve strategized, probably where we strategized on arguments that have had to appear before the various courts in our territory and and our state.”

Municipal Attorney Brian Hanson came to know Pate best not in the courtroom, but through music. For the last dozen years, Hanson has played tenor saxophone in Pate’s band, Glorious Youth Parade. He said among the harmonicas, fiddles and horns, he saw in Pate an “amazing capacity for inclusion” and open-mindedness. 

“I think that’s what he’s going to bring to this court,” Hanson said. “This passion, this open-mindedness, this inclusion for people. I think it translates into anything he does with his music. And it will translate into what he does for the court.”

“So Jude, good luck to you. Congratulations, we’re so happy for you,” Hanson said, then added, “You broke up the band.”

When it came time for Pate to speak, he spent over ten minutes pointing out guests in the audience and thanking them individually. 

“I spoke to Uncle Herman [Davis], our Clan father,” said Pate, who is an adopted member of the Coho Clan. “He’s in Juneau, he couldn’t be here. And I said ‘What should I say to them?” And he said ‘Thank them for putting you here.’ So, Gunalchéesh.”

After the ceremony, the group migrated to a local pizza restaurant for food, drinks and a Glorious Youth Parade concert, a band that Chief Justice Maassen likened to The Beatles when he said that he hoped Alaska’s Supreme Court wouldn’t be known as the “Yoko Ono” court for stealing away Sitka’s coolest judge-slash-rockstar.