11.19.25

Sullivan Speaks at Hearing for Alaska Federal Judge Nominee Peterson

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) today introduced Aaron Christian Peterson, of Eagle River, Alaska, at his nomination hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee. On November 12, President Donald Trump announced his intent to nominate Peterson to serve as a judge on the United States District Court for the District of Alaska, which currently has two vacancies.

Aaron Christian Peterson is a born-and-raised Alaskan and U.S. Air Force veteran who currently serves as senior assistant attorney general in the Alaska Department of Law’s (DOL) Natural Resources Section, where he serves as primary litigation counsel on fisheries matters in which the State of Alaska has an interest. Previously, Peterson served as assistant attorney general in the DOL’s Office of Special Prosecutions from 2015 to 2019, prosecuting statewide fish and wildlife crimes. He also served as assistant district attorney in Anchorage from 2012 to 2015, where he handled a wide range of criminal cases. Peterson began his legal career clerking for Alaska Superior Court Judge Michael Spaan from 2010 to 2011. Peterson earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Alaska Anchorage, and his Juris Doctor from the Gonzaga University School of Law.

Sen. Sullivan solicited potential applications to fill vacancies on the court through the Alaska Federal Judiciary Council (AFJC), originally convened by Sullivan in 2023 to recommend candidates for federal judgeship vacancies. The council conducted thorough reviews and recommended applicants, including Peterson, to Sen. Sullivan, who then submitted his name, among others, to the President, who made the final decision.

Below is a full transcript of Sen. Sullivan’s remarks in the hearing.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, Senator Durbin, and my Senate colleagues on the Judiciary Committee. It is an honor to be here today to introduce a distinguished Alaskan before this committee, Aaron Peterson, who has been nominated by President Trump to serve as a judge on the United States District Court for the District of Alaska.

As you all know, the vetting process for a federal judge is rigorous and time consuming, as it should be. I want to thank Aaron and his family for their patience as this process has moved forward. As part of this nominating process, Aaron was interviewed by the Alaska Federal Judiciary Council, a bipartisan group of Alaskans who volunteered their time to interview federal judge candidates.

The recent controversy about a federal judge in Alaska, who was not my first choice and ended up being a real disgrace to Alaska and the federal judiciary, made it clear to me that we needed a much better vetting system in Alaska for federal judges. So, I established the Alaska Federal Judiciary Council. Aaron is the first nominee who was interviewed by that council. I convened this, as I mentioned, for better vetting. I actually took some advice from our senators from Texas and Senator Durbin, who have similar committees to nominate quality candidates. I know that this Alaska Federal Judiciary Council process will improve the selection of Alaska judicial candidates.

I want to publicly thank all the members of the council who put time and effort into this over the last year. When I first met Aaron, I was impressed by his integrity, his respect for the rule of law, and his deep commitment to public service, which also includes military service.

Alaska has more veterans per capita than any other state in the country. Aaron is one of those proud Alaska veterans. He served in security forces in the U.S. Air Force after 9/11, deploying in the Middle East and around the globe to protect airfields and airmen.

His legal experience is broad and deep and Alaska-focused. After receiving his Juris Doctor from Gonzaga University School of Law, he came back home to serve as a law clerk for Alaska Superior Court Judge Michael Spaan. He went on to serve as an assistant district attorney for the Anchorage District Attorney's Office, where he prosecuted serious criminal cases, including homicides and sex crimes.

Alaska is a great state, and my colleagues have heard me brag about it many, many times. But one thing we are not proud of in our state is our very high rates of sexual assault and domestic violence. It is a scourge on our state. Aaron's experience in prosecuting these cases and working closely with victims will be a huge asset to the federal court in Alaska.

Alaska is a unique state with many federal laws that specifically focus on our uniqueness. The Trans Alaska Pipeline Authorization Act. The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. The Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act. These are massive, complex laws exclusively focused on Alaska.

Even more recent laws, like the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the 2020 CARES Act, and the recent budget reconciliation bill signed into law by President Trump in July, have entire sections in the federal law focused on Alaska. All of these laws have significant and important promises and commitments made by the Congress to Alaskans and our Alaska Native people.

But what has been a pattern for decades is that federal agencies charged with carrying out these laws often ignore these commitments to Alaskans. Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan said it recently, and best in the two recent cases before the Supreme Court called Sturgeon I and Sturgeon II. Both were decided 9 to 0 by the U.S. Supreme Court in Alaska's favor.

In analyzing ANILCA in ANCSA—the statutes I just cited above—Justice Kagan concluded ANILCA and other federal laws reflect the simple truth that Alaska is often the exception, not the rule, and is very different from the rest of the country in terms of laws.

For a federal judge in Alaska, it is imperative that he or she have a deep understanding of these federal laws and their application. Aaron definitely does. He has been an assistant attorney general in both the civil and criminal divisions in the Department of Law for over ten years. He is currently the senior assistant attorney general in the natural resources section of the Alaska Department of Law. He is the primary litigation counsel on anything to do from fisheries, water rights, and access to federal lands.

Aaron is a lifelong Alaskan. He knows and understands our great state and the federal laws that reflect on Alaska. I think he will be a great federal judge. I urge his nomination be sent to the Senate floor with positive votes from all the members of this committee.

Thank you again, Mr. Chairman. It's an honor to introduce Aaron.

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Below is a full transcript of Peterson’s opening remarks.

Chairman Grassley, Ranking Member Durbin, members of the committee, thank you for scheduling this hearing. I am thrilled to be here.

I want to thank President Trump for giving me the honor of this nomination. It truly is the professional honor of a lifetime. I want to thank Senator Sullivan, both for his support throughout this process and for that very kind introduction. I'd also like to thank Senator Murkowski for her support during this process.

I want to recognize some of the people who've traveled here to support me. First and foremost, my brilliant and beautiful wife, Kadra. We've been married over 21 years and she's been with me every step of the way. I definitely would not be anywhere near this opportunity without her unwavering love, patience, and support.

She's supported me throughout my career while pursuing her own very demanding careers as a math teacher and as a mother to our three children—our 12-year-old daughter and our nine-year-old twins. I want to thank her for all the sacrifices that she has made to make this a possibility. I also want to thank Kadra’s sister, Reagan, for watching our kids while we're here. Good luck, Reagan.

My father also traveled here from Alaska, and he wouldn't have missed this. He's been at every important life event for all of his children and his grandchildren. My father moved to Alaska from southern California in 1975. He planned to stay for a few months and have an adventure, and he's been there for 50 years. Fortunately, my mother agreed to go to Alaska with him, also from southern California, and I thank God every day that they chose to live there and that I got to be born and raised in the Last Frontier.

Unfortunately, my mother couldn't travel here today, but I know she's extremely proud watching back home in Eagle River. My sister, Lindsey, also came here and is at the hearing. And my uncle, U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel (retired) Larry Peterson, is also here.

On a professional level, I want to thank Judge Michael Spaan, for whom I had the privilege of clerking. Judge Spaan—it was truly an honor and a pleasure to work for him. When I told him I was thinking about this opportunity, he had been the U.S. attorney for many years in Alaska, and he encouraged me. I want to thank him for that encouragement. Judge Spaan approached his work diligently with humility and always respecting every litigant that appeared before him. I took so much away from that clerkship, and I've carried those lessons with me every day since.

Finally, I want to thank Attorney General Steve Cox and all of the fantastic people that I've had the pleasure to work with over the years at the Alaska Department of Law. It has been an honor and a pleasure to serve my home state alongside all of those extremely dedicated public servants. I welcome the committee's questions.

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