Opinion ID: 1443915
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: The Post-trial Attempt to Disqualify the Judge

Text: Three months after the trial court entered its findings and conclusions, the Wassermans filed a motion for a new trial. The motion was essentially a motion to disqualify Judge Beistline for cause pursuant to AS 22.20.020. Before his elevation to the bench, Judge Beistline worked in Fairbanks for the law firm of Hughes, Thorsness, Gantz, Powell & Brundin. The Wassermans stated in their motion that they had learned only after trial that Hughes, Thorsness had represented the City of Fairbanks in a high profile case involving the City's police and fire departments. According to the Wassermans, their subsequent research indicated that the City had paid several hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees to Hughes, Thorsness. The Wassermans argued that because Judge Beistline failed to disclose in their case that his firm had previously represented the City of Fairbanks, a defendant in their case, and to recuse himself if appropriate, a new trial was warranted. Judge Beistline denied the motion for a new trial because it was both untimely and factually and legally unsupported. Regarding timeliness, Judge Beistline noted that the motion was brought three months after trial. He took judicial notice that counsel for the Wassermans, William Satterberg, knew at the time of the trial that Judge Beistline had formerly represented the City of Fairbanks. Judge Beistline's reason for taking judicial notice was that he and Satterberg had been opposing counsel (with Beistline representing the City of Fairbanks) in a 1989 case. Furthermore, Judge Beistline said, in the recent high profile case that allegedly brought Hughes, Thorsness's representation of Fairbanks to the Wassermans' attention, Judge Beistline had performed only insignificant legal work for the City. [8] Judge Beistline's decision also rested on the facts that Satterberg had supported Judge Beistline's appointment to judicial office, that Satterberg had told a television interviewer that Judge Beistline was fair, that [i]t is unlikely that an attorney of Mr. Satterberg's stature ... would be unaware of Hughes, Thorsness's representation of the City of Fairbanks, and that Satterberg was associated at the time with two former associates of Hughes, Thorsness. After Judge Beistline denied the Wassermans' motion, the Wassermans applied to this court to disqualify Judge Beistline for cause. The issue was assigned to Judge Hodges for review pursuant to AS 22.20.020(c). Judge Hodges affirmed Judge Beistline's conclusion that AS 22.20.020 did not require Judge Beistline to recuse himself or to disclose his former firm's representation of the City. On the related issue whether Judge Beistline's presiding created an appearance of impropriety, Judge Hodges remanded to Judge Beistline for determination. Briefing on the issue ensued. Judge Beistline found that there was no appearance of impropriety, and after hearing oral argument Judge Hodges affirmed that ruling. On appeal, the Wassermans challenge the exclusion of Delacruz's testimony, the denial of their motions to disqualify Judge Beistline for cause, and several other issues.