Something tells me that Pallenberg has the inside track.  One seat was long dominated by Juneau: Dimond, succeeded by Boochever, succeeded by Compton, succeeded by Carpeneti, a chain which Parnell broke.  Here in Fairbanks, we have a Superior Court judge named Jane Kauvar.  I've witnessed people cussing her out as she walked through the lobby of the courthouse.  I've talked with members of the local legal community who expressed grave concerns about Parnell appointing her to the Superior Court.  Still, it appeared more than anything else that he made this appointment to spare her the indignity of being a judge for 30+ years and never making it past the District Court level, just like when you go into Safeway in the morning and there's always a checker on duty who has been working for Safeway since the 1970s or thereabouts and never made it into a management position.  I really hope that we're not letting that sort of "feel good" judgement guide decisions this important.