Alaska’s judicial system – often considered a model in its simplicity – has similarities to the Italian court system, according to state Supreme Court Chief Justice Walter Carpeneti.
About 18 years ago, Carpeneti found himself in an Italian courtroom.
“A courtroom in Milan, Italy. And I was actually on the bench,” recalls Carpeneti. “I was with four other Italian judges but they were real Italian judges, they weren’t American judges of Italian extraction. You know they’d passed the bar exam and they were there legally.”
Then an Alaska Superior Court judge, Carpeneti took a year-long sabbatical to study the Italian court system. He outlined his experience earlier this month to the Juneau World Affairs Council. It was the first time a chief justice has spoken to the World Affairs Council.
Carpeneti says the court system in Italy is similar to Alaska in that it is a unified, unitary system.
To hear more about the Italian justice system, watch Capeneti’s speech tonight (Friday) on 360 North at 8 p.m.
