A notable Alaska jurist and Juneau attorney is a step closer to being recognized by Congress.
The U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on Thursday passed out a measure that would name the courtroom in the downtown Juneau federal building after Judge Robert Boochever.
The measure now goes to the full U.S. House for a vote.
Congressman Don Young, who sponsored the resolution, said in a prepared statement that “Judge Boochever’s commitment to Alaska was second to none.”
A companion piece of legislation is also being sponsored by Senators Lisa Murkowski and Mark Begich.
Robert Boochever started as an assistant U.S. attorney in Juneau in 1946. He later entered private practice and was appointed to the Alaska Supreme Court, eventually becoming the fourth Chief Justice of the state’s highest court.
Justice Boochever became Judge Boochever in 1980 when he was picked to be the first Alaskan to serve on the federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. He served for 30 years.
The Juneau courtroom, along with courtrooms in Fairbanks and Ketchikan, were included in a recent list of courtrooms nationwide that the federal government was considering shutting down because of cost, usage, and location.
