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. 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 :

Vacancies and pending nominations Seat Prior judge's duty station Seat last held by Vacancy reason Date of vacancy Nominee Date of nomination 1 Anchorage Joshua Kindred Resignation July 8, 2024 Kyle Reardon September 14, 2026

Former judges

Chief judges

Succession of seats

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 fortermination 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 Truitt 1849–1935 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 19001900–1904 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 43 FairbanksValdez and Anchorage Pete Overfield 1874–1959 1909–19121912–1913 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 Jr. 1857–1928 1921–1928 Harding 28 43 FairbanksValdez and Anchorage Cecil H. Clegg 1873–1956 1921–19321932–1934 Harding 29 34 Valdez and AnchorageFairbanks E. Coke Hill 1866–1961 1927–19321932–1935 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 Source:

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 R. 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)

See also Courts of Alaska List of current United States district judges List of United States federal courthouses in Alaska

References

External links United States District Court for the District of Alaska United States Attorney for the District of Alaska