Former North Pole legislator, owner of Santa-themed tourist spot named to Alaska Judicial Council

An empty judge’s bench is seen in the Boney Courthouse in Anchorage on Jan 17, 2025. (Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)

By Corinne Smith

Alaska Beacon

Gov. Mike Dunleavy has named a former state legislator and longtime owner of a North Pole tourist destination known as the Santa Claus House to the council in charge of vetting and nominating state judges, among other duties. 

Dunleavy appointed Mike Miller on Apr. 28 to serve a five-year term on the council, which oversees screening and nominating judges, evaluating their performance, making information available to voters and making recommendations to improve the administration of justice.

Miller’s appointment is subject to confirmation by the Alaska Legislature in a vote scheduled for Thursday morning. 

The appointment follows the resignation of another appointee, John Woods, last month amid controversy and legal challenges of his eligibility for a seat on the seven-member council.

The Alaska Judicial Council includes three non-attorneys appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Alaska State Legislature, three attorneys appointed by the Alaska Bar Association and the Chief Justice, Susan Carney. The council manages screening and listing candidates for the governor’s final approval for the offices of the supreme court justice, court of appeals, superior court judge, district court judge, public defender or administrative tax law judge. 

Miller, age 74, was appointed to a public seat for non-attorneys. He has been the owner and operator of the Santa Claus House, a tourist destination in North Pole, roughly 14 miles southeast of Fairbanks, since 1966. It boasts the world’s largest Santa statue, reindeer tours and a gift shop that sells personalized letters from Santa.

Miller was elected to the North Pole City Council in 1972, and went on to be elected to seats in the Alaska House and Senate, serving from 1982 to 2000. He served as Senate President from 1997 to 1998, according to his resume. More recently, he served on the Interior Gas Utility Board of Directors from 2019 to 2025. 

At a confirmation hearing by the Senate Judiciary committee on Wednesday, Miller answered questions from lawmakers by phone. He said he’s interested in the position as an opportunity for public service in Alaska.

“It’s been my belief that Alaska has had a very strong judiciary in the past,” he said. “I view it as, to try to, as we get the applications for the new judgeships, or the judgeships that have become available, to send the most qualified people to the governor for appointments so that we can continue to keep a long and very vibrant judiciary in the state of Alaska.”

Senate President Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak, referred to previous political attempts to change the council, and asked Miller about his thoughts on maintaining the independence of the council.

“I think it’s very important to keep the council very independent. And I think that the framers of the Constitution, you know, were pretty wise, and I’ve been fortunate that I actually knew a couple of them,” Miller said, referring to the delegates of the Alaska Constitutional Convention in 1955. “That’s what makes the system work, in my opinion, that we try to keep politics out of it and try to be things based on the law, and what the law says.”

Sen. Löki Tobin, D-Anchorage, asked Miller on his perspective in selecting judges that represent diverse ethnicities and genders, “to ensure we have breadth of experience and fair representation.” 

“I like to see the best people come forward. And I think our current law schools are turning out a lot of individual candidates who are very qualified across all ethnic groups and different diversities,” he said. “I think the guiding factor to me is, will this person in the judgeship, will they decide on issues, not necessarily on personal opinions, but what does the law say?”

Miller said it’s the role of the council to advance the most qualified candidates, and the governor will make the final decision. 

Sen. Matt Claman, D-Anchorage, asked Miller about his participation in a 2004 federal lawsuit with a political action committee that challenged Alaska rules requiring judges to be impartial. The group, Alaska Right to Life, polled Alaska judges seeking retention about their political views, including abortion and assisted suicide.

Judges declined to answer the questionnaire. Alaska Right to Life claimed that impartiality rules prevented judges from answering the survey and thus suppressed their First Amendment rights. Miller was named as plaintiff in the lawsuit, which was later thrown out.

“I’ve since changed that position,” Miller said. “If they come down with a position that I disagree with, well, if they judge upon the law — so be it. Then it’s incumbent on people like myself to come to you, the Legislature, to change the law, and then you might have had a different outcome. But I have backed off from that position 25 years ago.”

One of the judges involved, Patricia Collins, who declined to answer the questionnaire, is now retired and sits on the current Alaska Judicial Council. “Would you, having been a plaintiff against her in a lawsuit, cause any difficulty for you to serve on the council with her?” Claman asked.

“No, not at all,” he said. “From my time in the political world… you’ve got to be careful about making enemies this way because — and I certainly would have no problems serving with her — because on one issue, the person debating against you on a certain issue, on the next issue may be your strongest ally. So you’ve got to be careful that, ‘Oh, just because you did this, I can’t talk to you.’ That’s ridiculous.”

Claman asked if Miller would ask about judge candidates’ positions on abortion. 

“I may have an opinion one way or the other,” Miller said. “The only concern I have: Will the person going forward judge on the law as it is written or as interpreted? I’ll be honest … I don’t think personally, that’s not an appropriate question coming from me. I would not ask that question.”

The Senate Judiciary committee advanced Miller’s confirmation without endorsement, to a vote by the joint session of the Legislature, scheduled to take place on Thursday.

• Corinne Smith started reporting in Alaska in 2020, serving as a radio reporter for several local stations across the state including in Petersburg, Haines, Homer and Dillingham. She spent two summers covering the Bristol Bay fishing season. Originally from Oakland, California, she got her start as a reporter, then morning show producer, at KPFA Radio in Berkeley. Alaska Beacon is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.