Paul Korchin arrives in September from Aniak.
Paul Korchin, 57, will serve as the new magistrate for Haines, Skagway, Yakutat and Hoonah in the First Judicial District beginning Sept. 6.
Korchin is taking the post after magistrate Orion Hughes-Knowles in June took a position in Juneau. He’s moving from Aniak where he was appointed as magistrate in 2021.
Korchin first moved to Alaska in 1987 after graduating from college. He spent the bulk of his career as a college professor where he taught religious studies and ancient cultures.
“Before becoming a magistrate, a lot of my professional career was centered in higher academia,” Korchin said. “I was a humanities professor including a stint at the (University of Alaska Fairbanks).”
He’s lived and worked across the state, and has long wanted to set roots in Southeast. He and his wife, Eve, enjoy outdoor activities including hiking, skiing and kayaking.
“The chance to return to the panhandle was too much to resist,” he said of his decision to work in Haines. “I visited Haines several times over the years. It’s a place I’ve always been attracted to,” he said. “I spent several years living and working in Nome. Haines’ small-town pride and can-do energy are familiar to me.”
Korchin’s post in Aniak was his first time working as a magistrate. Alaska statute doesn’t require a law degree for the position. He said it’s been a “steep but gratifying learning curve.”
“A big part of my judicial approach is to render the law personable without making it personal,” he said. “I’m finding that each and every party that comes before me, whether it’s a defendant, a victim, a lawyer, someone from law enforcement, they deserve my full attention and respect as I do my job to decide a fair and just outcome. Those are the values and ethics that I both learn and try to apply to this job and to the responsibilities I have.”
Magistrates preside over cases related to minor offense and misdemeanor arraignments, bail hearings, felony first appearances, preliminary hearings, change of plea and sentencing, small claims trials and domestic violence and stalking hearings.
Korchin encouraged residents to visit him at the courthouse.
“We’ll have the coffee pot going and we’ll strike up a conversation. “