# United States District Court for the District of Alaska

The United States District Court for the District of Alaska (in case citations, D. Alaska) is a federal court that appeals to the Ninth Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appealed to the Federal Circuit).
The District was established on July 7, 1958, pending Alaska statehood on January 3, 1959.
The United States Attorney's Office for the District of Alaska represents the United States in civil and criminal litigation in the court. As of March 3, 2025 the United States attorney is Michael J. Heyman.

## Organization of the court

The United States District Court for the District of Alaska is the sole federal judicial district in Alaska. Court for the district is held at Anchorage, Fairbanks and Juneau. In 2021, the court discontinued the use of courthouses in Ketchikan and Nome.

## Current judges

As of July 8, 2024:
| # | Title | Judge | Duty station | Born | Term of service | Term of service | Term of service | Appointed by |
| # | Title | Judge | Duty station | Born | Active | Chief | Senior | Appointed by |
| 11 | Chief Judge | Sharon L. Gleason | Anchorage | 1957 | 2012–present | 2022–present | — | Obama |
| 13 | District Judge | vacant | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 14 | District Judge | vacant | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 5 | Senior Judge | H. Russel Holland | Anchorage | 1936 | 1984–2001 | 1989–1995 | 2001–present | Reagan |
| 7 | Senior Judge | James K. Singleton | inactive | 1939 | 1990–2005 | 1995–2002 | 2005–present | G.H.W. Bush |
| 8 | Senior Judge | John W. Sedwick | Anchorage | 1946 | 1992–2011 | 2002–2009 | 2011–present | G.H.W. Bush |
| 9 | Senior Judge | Ralph Beistline | Anchorage | 1948 | 2002–2015 | 2009–2015 | 2015–present | G.W. Bush |
| 10 | Senior Judge | Timothy M. Burgess | Anchorage | 1956 | 2006–2021 | 2015–2021 | 2021–present | G.W. Bush |

## Vacancies and pending nominations

| Seat | Prior judge's duty station | Seat last held by | Vacancy reason | Date of vacancy | Nominee | Date of nomination |
| 2 | Anchorage | Timothy M. Burgess | Senior status | December 31, 2021 | – | – |
| 1 | Anchorage | Joshua Kindred | Resignation | July 8, 2024 | – | – |

## Former judges

| # | Judge | State | Born–died | Active service | Chief Judge | Senior status | Appointed by | Reason for termination |
| 1 | Walter Hartman Hodge | AK | 1896–1975 | 1960–1966 | 1961–1966 | 1966–1975 | Eisenhower | death |
| 2 | Raymond Eugene Plummer | AK | 1913–1987 | 1961–1973 | 1966–1973 | 1973–1987 | Kennedy | death |
| 3 | James von der Heydt | AK | 1919–2013 | 1966–1984 | 1973–1984 | 1984–2013 | L. Johnson | death |
| 4 | James Martin Fitzgerald | AK | 1920–2011 | 1974–1989 | 1984–1989 | 1989–2011 | Ford | death |
| 6 | Andrew Kleinfeld | AK | 1945–present | 1986–1991 | — | — | Reagan | elevation to 9th Cir. |
| 12 | Joshua Kindred | AK | 1977–present | 2020–2024 | — | — | Trump | resignation |

## Chief judges

Chief judges have administrative responsibilities with respect to their district court. Unlike the Supreme Court, where one justice is specifically nominated to be chief, the office of chief judge rotates among the district court judges. To be chief, a judge must have been in active service on the court for at least one year, be under the age of 65, and have not previously served as chief judge.
A vacancy is filled by the judge highest in seniority among the group of qualified judges. The chief judge serves for a term of seven years, or until age 70, whichever occurs first. The age restrictions are waived if no members of the court would otherwise be qualified for the position.
When the office was created in 1948, the chief judge was the longest-serving judge who had not elected to retire, on what has since 1958 been known as senior status, or declined to serve as chief judge. After August 6, 1959, judges could not become or remain chief after turning 70 years old. The current rules have been in operation since October 1, 1982.

## Succession of seats

Seat 1 :
| Seat established on January 3, 1959 by 72 Stat. 339 ||||
| Hodge | 1960–1966 |
| von der Heydt | 1966–1984 |
| Holland | 1984–2001 |
| Beistline | 2002–2015 |
| Kindred | 2020–2024 |
| vacant | 2024–present |
Seat 2 :
| Seat established on May 19, 1961 by 75 Stat. 80 ||||
| Plummer | 1961–1973 |
| Fitzgerald | 1974–1989 |
| Singleton | 1990–2005 |
| Burgess | 2006–2021 |
| vacant | 2021–present |
Seat 3 :
| Seat established on July 10, 1984 by 98 Stat. 333 ||||
| Kleinfeld | 1986–1991 |
| Sedwick | 1992–2011 |
| Gleason | 2012–present |

## Territorial District Court

From 1884 through 1959, the highest court in Alaska was a United States territorial court. In 1900, the court was enlarged from one to three judges, with each judge having a district. From 1900 till 1909, the districts were Juneau (First), Nome (Second), and Fairbanks (Third). In 1909, a fourth district and judge was added. From 1909 till 1959, the districts were Juneau (First), Nome (Second), Valdez and Anchorage (Third), and Fairbanks (Fourth).
| # | District | Seat | Judge | State | Born–died | Active service | Appointed by | Reason for termination |
| 1 | — | Sitka and Wrangell | Ward McAllister Jr. | CA | 1855–1908 | 1884–1885 | Arthur | dismissal |
| 2 | — | Sitka and Wrangell | E. J. Dawne | OR | 1844–? | 1885 | Cleveland | dismissal |
| 3 | — | Sitka and Wrangell | Lafayette Dawson | MO | 1839–1897 | 1885–1888 | Cleveland | resignation |
| 4 | — | Sitka and Wrangell | John H. Keatley | IA | 1838–1905 | 1888–1889 | Cleveland | resignation |
| 5 | — | Sitka and Wrangell | John S. Bugbee | | 1840–1896 | 1889–1892 | B. Harrison | |
| 6 | — | Sitka and Wrangell | Warren D. Truitt | | 1855–1935 | 1892–1897 | B. Harrison | |
| 7 | — | Sitka and Wrangell | Arthur Delaney | | 1841–1905 | 1895–1897 | Cleveland | dismissal |
| 8 | — | Sitka and Wrangell | Charles S. Johnson | | 1854–1906 | 1897–1900 | McKinley | |
| 9 | — 1 | Sitka and Wrangell | Melville C. Brown | | 1838–1928 | 1900 1900–1904 | McKinley | |
| 10 | 2 | Nome | Arthur H. Noyes | | 1853–1915 | 1900–1902 | McKinley | |
| 11 | 3 | Fairbanks | James Wickersham | | 1857–1939 | 1900–1907 | McKinley | |
| 12 | 2 | Nome | Alfred S. Moore | | 1846–1920 | 1902–1910 | T. Roosevelt | |
| 13 | 1 | Sitka and Wrangell (to 1906) Juneau (from 1906) | Royal Arch Gunnison | | 1873–1918 | 1904–1909 | T. Roosevelt | |
| 14 | 3 | Fairbanks | Silas H. Reid | | 1870–1911 | 1908–1909 | T. Roosevelt | |
| 15 | 1 | Juneau | Thomas R. Lyons | | 1867–1941 | 1909–1913 | Taft | |
| 16 | 3 | Valdez and Anchorage | Edward E. Cushman | | 1865–1944 | 1909–1912 | Taft | |
| 17 | 4 3 | Fairbanks Valdez and Anchorage | Pete Overfield | | 1874–1959 | 1909–1912 1912–1913 | Taft | |
| 18 | 2 | Nome | Cornelius D. Murane | | 1867–1951 | 1910–1913 | Taft | |
| 19 | 4 | Fairbanks | Frederic E. Fuller | | 1868–1953 | 1912–1914 | Taft | |
| 20 | 1 | Juneau | Robert W. Jennings | | 1864–1937 | 1913–1921 | Wilson | |
| 21 | 3 | Valdez and Anchorage | Frederick M. Brown | | 1864–1946 | 1913–1921 | Wilson | |
| 22 | 2 | Nome | John Randolph Tucker | | 1854–1926 | 1913–1917 | Wilson | |
| 23 | 4 | Fairbanks | Charles E. Bunnell | | 1878–1956 | 1915–1921 | Wilson | |
| 24 | 2 | Nome | William A. Holzheimer | | 1870–1948 | 1917–1921 | Wilson | |
| 25 | 3 | Valdez and Anchorage | Elmer E. Ritchie | | 1861–1941 | 1921–1927 | Harding | |
| 26 | 2 | Nome | Gudbrand J. Lomen | | 1854–1934 | 1921–1932 | Harding | |
| 27 | 1 | Juneau | Thomas M. Reed | | 1857–1928 | 1921–1928 | Harding | |
| 28 | 4 3 | Fairbanks Valdez and Anchorage | Cecil H. Clegg | | 1873–1956 | 1921–1932 1932–1934 | Harding | |
| 29 | 3 4 | Valdez and Anchorage Fairbanks | E. Coke Hill | | 1866–1961 | 1927–1932 1932–1935 | Coolidge | |
| 30 | 1 | Juneau | Justin Woodward Harding | | 1888–1976 | 1929–1934 | Coolidge | |
| 31 | 2 | Nome | Lester O. Gore | | 1890–1965 | 1932–1934 | Hoover | |
| 32 | 1 | Juneau | George F. Alexander | | 1882–1948 | 1933–1947 | F. Roosevelt | |
| 33 | 3 | Valdez and Anchorage | Simon Hellenthal | | 1877–1955 | 1935–1945 | F. Roosevelt | |
| 34 | 4 | Fairbanks | Harry Emerson Pratt | | 1884–1957 | 1935–1954 | F. Roosevelt | |
| 35 | 2 | Nome | J. H. S. Morison | | 1864–1952 | 1935–1944 | F. Roosevelt | |
| 36 | 2 | Nome | Joseph W. Kehoe | | 1890–1959 | 1944–1951 | F. Roosevelt | |
| 37 | 3 | Valdez and Anchorage | Anthony Dimond | | 1881–1953 | 1945–1953 | F. Roosevelt | |
| 38 | 1 | Juneau | George W. Folta | | 1893–1955 | 1947–1955 | Truman | death |
| 39 | 2 | Nome | J. Earl Cooper | | 1907–1964 | 1952–1953 | Truman | |
| 40 | 3 | Valdez and Anchorage | J. L. McCarrey Jr. | | 1906–1992 | 1953–1959 | Eisenhower | court dissolution |
| 41 | 2 | Nome | Walter Hartman Hodge | | 1896–1975 | 1954–1959 | Eisenhower | court dissolution |
| 42 | 4 | Fairbanks | Vernon D. Forbes | | 1905–1990 | 1954–1959 | Eisenhower | court dissolution |
| 43 | 1 | Juneau | Raymond J. Kelly | | 1894–1979 | 1955–1959 | Eisenhower | court dissolution |

## U.S. Attorney

DISTRICT OF ALASKA, SITKA (1884-1898) E. W. Haskett (1884-1885) Mottrone D. Ball (1885-1887) Whitaker M. Grant (1887-1889) John C. Watson (1889) Charles S. Johnson (1889-1894) Lytton Taylor (1894-1895) Burton E. Bennett (1895-1898)
Three Judicial Districts Created: June 6, 1900 First District Juneau Robert A. Frederick (1898-1902) Thomas R. Lyons (1902-1903) John J. Boyce (1903-1910) John Rustgard (1910-1914 John J. Reagan (1914-1915) James A. Smiser (1915-1921) Arthur G. Shoup (1921-1927) Justin W. Harding (1927-1929) Howard D. Stabler (1929-1933) William A. Holzheimer (1933-1944) Lynn J. Gemmill (1944) Robert L. Jernberg (1944-1945) Robert L. Tollefson (1945-1946) Patrick J. Gilmore, Jr (1946-1954) Theodore E. Munson (1954-1956) Roger G. Connor (1956) C. Donald O’Connor (1956)
Second District Nome Joseph K. Wood (1900-1901) John L. McGinn (1901-1902) Melvin Grigsby (1902-1903) John L. McGinn (1903-1904) Henry M. Hoyt (1904-1908) George B. Grigsby (1908-1910) Bernard S. Rodey (1910-1913) F. M. Saxton (1913-1917) G. B. Mundy (1917-1918) Gudbrand J. Lomen (1918-1919) J. M. Clements (1919-1921) Wm. Frederick Harrison (1921-1929) Julius H. Hart (1929-1931) Leroy M. Sullivan (1931-1933) Hugh O’Neill (1933-1939) Charles J. Clasky (1939-1944) Frank C. Bingham (1944-1951) James A. von der Heydt (1951-1953) Russell B. Hermann (1953)
THIRD DISTRICT Eagle, Fairbanks, Valdez, Anchorage Alfred M. Post (1900-1901) Nathan V. Harlan (1901-1908) James J. Crossley (1908-1909) Corneilus D. Murane (1909-1910) George R. Walker (1910-1914) William N. Spence (1914-1917) William A. Munly (1917-1921) Sherman Duggan (1921-1925) Frank H. Foster (1925-1926) William D. Coppernoll (1926-1928) Warren N. Cuddy (1928-1933) Joseph W. Kehoe (1933-1942) Noel K. Wennblom (1942-1946) Raymond E. Plummer .... 1946-1949 Joseph E. Cooper (1949-1952) Seaborn J. Buckalew, Jr. (1952-1953) William J. Plummer (1953-1960)
Fourth District, Fairbanks James J. Crossley (1909-1914) Rhinehart F. Roth (1914-1921) Guy B. Erwin (1921-1924) Julien A. Hurley (1924-1933) Ralph J. Rivers (1933-1944) Harry O. Arend (1944-1949) Everett W. Hepp (1950-1952) Robert J. McNealy (1952-1953) Theodore F. Stevens (1954-1956) George M. Yeager (1956-1960)
ALASKA ADMITTED TO STATEHOOD JANUARY 2, 1959
* William T. Plummer (1960)
* George M. Yeager (1960-1961)
* Warren C. Colver (1961-1964)
* Joseph J. Cella, Jr (1964)
* Richard L. McVeigh (1964-1968)
* Marvin S. Frankel (1968-1969)
* A. Lee Preston (1969)
* Douglas B. Bailey 1969-1971
* G. Kent Edwards (1971-1977)
* James L. Swartz (1977)
* Alexander O. Bryner (1977-1980)
* Rene J. Gonzalez (1980-1981)
* Michael R. Spaan (1981-1989)
* Mark R. Davis (1989-1990)
* Wesley William Shea (1990-1993)
* Joseph W. Bottini (1993)
* Robert Charles Bundy (1994-?)
* Timothy Mark Burgess (2001-2005)
* Nelson P Cohen (2006-2009)
* Karen Louise Loeffler (2009-2017)
* Bryan Schroder (2017-2021)
* E. Bryan Wilson (2021-2022)
* S. Lane Tucker (2022-2025)
* Michael J. Heyman (2025-Present)