Alaska Supreme Court Justice and Sitka’s former longtime public defender Jude Pate was honored by his alma mater, Lewis and Clark Law School in Portland Oregon. His address to the graduates began with bubbles and ended with a song. After his speech concluded, Pate was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from his alma mater.

Alaska Supreme Court Justice Jude Pate began his commencement speech to the Lewis and Clark Law School Class of 2025  by sharing a traditional Lingít greeting. 

“Some of my Lingít mentors in southeast Alaska have taught me…one way to begin a public speech, and it’s to let the audience know that you mean no offense, that you come with the best of intentions,” Pate said. “Those words are ‘May my words fall like feathers on your shoulder.’ Isn’t that beautiful? Yeah, and I say Gunalchéesh to my friends and mentors, and Gunalchéesh means in Lingít, thank you.”

Pate explained to students that in Lingít culture, feathers and eagle down are often used to signify the spiritual world. He said he couldn’t bring eagle down, but instead brought a small “bottle of miracles” to share with the graduates. 

“Yes, miracles are in this bottle. And how do I know that this bottle is full of miracles? Well, that’s because it says right here, ‘super miracle bubbles'” Pate said.  

And from the pulpit on the stage, Pate pulled a tiny wand from an orange bottle and blew a handful of bubbles.

“So may my words float above you like little miracles of hope, peace, joy and love, and as long as they don’t pop, may they fall softly on your shoulders,” Pate said as the bubbles floated down on the audience.  

Pate told graduates that when was in their shoes 32 years ago, he was a bit afraid of stepping out into the big bad world as a new lawyer. And students today have it even tougher, with crushing debt, a society divided and parts of the world “literally on fire.” So how would they cope?

“I know that you’re going to refuse to accept injustice. I know that you’re going to represent those that can’t represent themselves. I know that. I don’t have to go on anymore about that. But how are you going to do that? What’s going to sustain your spirit?” Pate said. “When the news is unrelentingly grim, or at least it seems that way to you, how are you not going to become jaded and faded and and I don’t know, lose your way?”

Pate said the “little miracles” in his bubble wand– hope, peace, joy and love– would help them along the way.

On love, Pate said it’s not only about showing love to others, and loving your work, but also loving yourself. 

“Love yourself enough to be yourself. Wave that freak flag. Don’t be worried about that,” Pate said. “Who you are as a lawyer and who you now are as a human being? Those aren’t two separate things. Don’t go down that way. We need more of your humanity in the law, not less.”

On peace, he referenced his first job out of law school as a tribal court clerk in Sitka, learning from Judge William Brady. 

“He didn’t wear a robe. He didn’t sit up higher than other people when he was having court. He didn’t sit apart from them. He sat in a circle with a family that he was trying to heal, and he made sure that every time there was a hearing about that family, every person who was connected that family got notice,” Pate said. “Then when they came to the hearing, they got to speak, and they were treated with dignity and respect and patience. That is the most foundational rule that I learned right out the gate, and I learned that in tribal court. So let peace be your purpose as a lawyer.” 

Pate told the room of graduates that they must “reach out with joy” to the next generation, to improve representation in the legal field. Pate has done that by volunteering for the national Color of Justice program for the past 20 years. The annual program at Mt. Edgecumbe High School in Sitka encourages Alaska Native students from rural communities around the state to pursue legal careers. 

Pate said the last Color of Justice event in Sitka featured two former Mt. Edgecumbe students who are now attorneys themselves. 

“When they stood up as presenters at the Color of Justice, those students saw themselves. They saw the possibility, the hope. And they’re not judges yet, but you know, got to start someplace,” Pate said. “So I say, let joy be your spirit as a lawyer. Because the joy I saw in those students eyes that day was it made me tear up. It’s magic.”