Project Jukebox Survey

Help us redesign the Project Jukebox website by taking a very short survey!

Warren Matthews

Born in 1939, Warren Matthews grew up in Hollister, California, and earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Stanford University in 1961 and graduated from Harvard Law School in 1964. He came to Alaska in 1964 and first worked as an attorney at the law firm of Burr, Boney, and Pease in Anchorage. In 1969, he formed the law firm of Matthews, Dunn and Bailey. In 1977, he was appointed to the Alaska Supreme Court and twice served as Chief Justice during his thirty-two years on the bench. Justice Matthews retired in 2009 after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 70. Because of a love of the law and his job, he has continued to serve as judge pro tem as needed. As of 2012, he still went to his office in the courthouse just about every day.

Date of Birth:

Apr 5, 1939

Warren Matthews appears in the following new Jukebox projects:

Judges of Alaska

Justice Warren Matthews' Slideshow

Interview Title	Abstract	Archive #: Oral History	Project	Date of Interview
Justice Warren Matthews, Part 1	Justice Warren Matthews was interviewed on January 23, 2012 by Karen Brewster and Marilyn May at the Boney Courthouse in Anchorage, Alaska. Warren Matthews grew up in Hollister, California, and earned a law degree from Harvard Law School. He came to Alaska in 1964 and first worked as an attorney at the law firm of Burr, Boney, and Pease in Anchorage. In 1977, he was appointed to the Alaska Supreme Court and twice served as Chief Justice during his thirty-two years on the bench. Justice Matthews retired in 2009 after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 70. Because of a love of the law and his job, he has continued to serve as judge pro tem as needed. He still comes to his office in the courthouse just about every day. In this interview, he discusses why he chose the field of law, coming to Alaska, why he wanted to become a judge, how the Supreme Court operates, the joys and challenges of the job, his thoughts about the state’s judicial selection and retention process, and what he misses about the job.	2012-02-01_PT.1	Judges of Alaska	Jan 23, 2012
Justice Warren Matthews, Part 2	This is a continuation of the interview with Justice Warren Matthews on January 23, 2012 by Karen Brewster and Marilyn May at the Boney Courthouse in Anchorage, Alaska. This is a continuation from tape number Oral History 2012-02-01, Part 1. In this part of the interview, Justice Matthews talks about Alaska's judicial system, colleagues and mentors, what he liked about serving as a justice, alternative courts, and his contribution to Alaska's legal system.	2012-02-01_PT.2	Judges of Alaska	Jan 23, 2012