United States District Court for the District of Alaska

Last updated

United States District Court for the District of Alaska
(D. Alaska)
Seal of the United States District Court for the District of Alaska (2020).svg
Alaska Locator Map.PNG
Location Anchorage
More locations
Appeals to Ninth Circuit
EstablishedJanuary 3, 1959
Judges3
Chief Judge Sharon L. Gleason
Officers of the court
U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker
U.S. Marshal Robert Heun
www.akd.uscourts.gov

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).

Contents

The District was established on July 7, 1958, pending Alaska statehood on January 3, 1959. [1]

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 April 25,2022 the United States attorney is S. Lane Tucker. [2]

Organization of the court

The United States District Court for the District of Alaska is the sole federal judicial district in Alaska. [3] Court for the district is held at Anchorage, Fairbanks and Juneau. In 2021, the court discontinued the use of courthouses in Ketchikan and Nome. [4]

Current judges

As of January 1,2022:

#TitleJudgeDuty stationBornTerm of serviceAppointed by
Active Chief Senior
11Chief Judge Sharon L. Gleason Anchorage 19572012–present2022–present Obama
12District Judge Joshua Kindred Anchorage 19772020–present Trump
13District Judgevacant
5Senior Judge H. Russel Holland Anchorage 19361984–20011989–19952001–present Reagan
7Senior Judge James K. Singleton inactive19391990–20051995–20022005–present G.H.W. Bush
8Senior Judge John W. Sedwick Anchorage 19461992–20112002–20092011–present G.H.W. Bush
9Senior Judge Ralph Beistline Fairbanks 19482002–20152009–20152015–present G.W. Bush
10Senior Judge Timothy M. Burgess Anchorage 19562006–20212015–20212021–present G.W. Bush

Vacancies and pending nominations

SeatPrior judge's duty stationSeat last held byVacancy reasonDate of vacancyNomineeDate of nomination
2 Anchorage Timothy M. Burgess Senior status December 31, 2021

Former judges

#JudgeStateBorn–diedActive service Chief Judge Senior status Appointed byReason for
termination
1 Walter Hartman Hodge AK 1896–19751960–19661961–19661966–1975 Eisenhower death
2 Raymond Eugene Plummer AK 1913–19871961–19731966–19731973–1987 Kennedy death
3 James von der Heydt AK 1919–20131966–19841973–19841984–2013 L. Johnson death
4 James Martin Fitzgerald AK 1920–20111974–19891984–19891989–2011 Ford death
6 Andrew Kleinfeld AK 1945–present1986–1991 Reagan elevation to 9th Cir.

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

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). [5]

#DistrictSeatJudgeStateBorn–diedActive serviceAppointed byReason for
termination
1Sitka and Wrangell Ward McAllister Jr. CA 1855–19081884–1885 Arthur dismissal
2Sitka and Wrangell E. J. Dawne OR 1844–?1885 Cleveland dismissal
3Sitka and Wrangell Lafayette Dawson MO 1839–18971885–1888 Cleveland resignation
4Sitka and Wrangell John H. Keatley IA 1838–19051888–1889 Cleveland resignation
5Sitka and Wrangell John S. Bugbee 1840–18961889–1892 B. Harrison
6Sitka and Wrangell Warren D. Truitt 1855–19351892–1897 B. Harrison
7Sitka and Wrangell Arthur Delaney 1841–19051895–1897 Cleveland dismissal
8Sitka and Wrangell Charles S. Johnson 1854–19061897–1900 McKinley
9
1
Sitka and Wrangell Melville C. Brown 1838–19281900
1900–1904
McKinley
102Nome Arthur H. Noyes 1853–19151900–1902 McKinley
113Fairbanks James Wickersham 1857–19391900–1907 McKinley
122Nome Alfred S. Moore 1846–19201902–1910 T. Roosevelt
131Sitka and Wrangell (to 1906)
Juneau (from 1906)
Royal Arch Gunnison 1873–19181904–1909 T. Roosevelt
143Fairbanks Silas H. Reid 1870–19111908–1909 T. Roosevelt
151Juneau Thomas R. Lyons 1867–19411909–1913 Taft
163Valdez and Anchorage Edward E. Cushman 1865–19441909–1912 Taft
174
3
Fairbanks
Valdez and Anchorage
Pete Overfield 1874–19591909–1912
1912–1913
Taft
182Nome Cornelius D. Murane 1867–19511910–1913 Taft
194Fairbanks Frederic E. Fuller 1868–19531912–1914 Taft
201Juneau Robert W. Jennings 1864–19371913–1921 Wilson
213Valdez and Anchorage Frederick M. Brown 1864–19461913–1921 Wilson
222Nome John Randolph Tucker 1854–19261913–1917 Wilson
234Fairbanks Charles E. Bunnell 1878–19561915–1921 Wilson
242Nome William A. Holzheimer 1870–19481917–1921 Wilson
253Valdez and Anchorage Elmer E. Ritchie 1861–19411921–1927 Harding
262Nome Gudbrand J. Lomen 1854–19341921–1932 Harding
271Juneau Thomas M. Reed 1857–19281921–1928 Harding
284
3
Fairbanks
Valdez and Anchorage
Cecil H. Clegg 1873–19561921–1932
1932–1934
Harding
293
4
Valdez and Anchorage
Fairbanks
E. Coke Hill 1866–19611927–1932
1932–1935
Coolidge
301Juneau Justin Woodward Harding 1888–19761929–1934 Coolidge
312Nome Lester O. Gore 1890–19651932–1934 Hoover
321Juneau George F. Alexander 1882–19481933–1947 F. Roosevelt
333Valdez and Anchorage Simon Hellenthal 1877–19551935–1945 F. Roosevelt
344Fairbanks Harry Emerson Pratt 1884–19571935–1954 F. Roosevelt
352Nome J. H. S. Morison 1864–19521935–1944 F. Roosevelt
362Nome Joseph W. Kehoe 1890–19591944–1951 F. Roosevelt
373Valdez and Anchorage Anthony Dimond 1881–19531945–1953 F. Roosevelt
381Juneau George W. Folta 1893–19551947–1955 Truman death
392Nome J. Earl Cooper 1907–19641952–1953 Truman
403Valdez and Anchorage J. L. McCarrey Jr. 1906–19921953–1959 Eisenhower court dissolution
412Nome Walter Hartman Hodge 1896–19751954–1959 Eisenhower court dissolution
424Fairbanks Vernon D. Forbes 1905–19901954–1959 Eisenhower court dissolution
431Juneau Raymond J. Kelly 1894–19791955–1959 Eisenhower court dissolution

U.S. Attorney [6]

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 [7] (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

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia</span> United States district court

The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia is one of two United States district courts serving the Commonwealth of Virginia. It has jurisdiction over the Northern Virginia, Hampton Roads, and Richmond metro areas and surrounding locations with courthouses located in Alexandria, Norfolk, Richmond and Newport News.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania</span> United States federal district court in Pennsylvania

The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania is one of the original 13 federal judiciary districts created by the Judiciary Act of 1789. It originally sat in Independence Hall in Philadelphia as the United States District Court for the District of Pennsylvania, and is now located at the James Byrne Courthouse at 601 Market Street in Philadelphia. There are five Eastern District federal courtrooms in Pennsylvania: Philadelphia, Lancaster, Allentown, Reading, and Easton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States District Court for the Central District of California</span> U.S. federal district court in California

The United States District Court for the Central District of California is a federal trial court that serves over 19 million people in Southern and Central California, making it the most populous federal judicial district. The district was created on September 18, 1966. Cases from the Central District are appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Along with the Central District of Illinois, the court is the only district court referred to by the name "Central" – all other courts with similar geographical names instead use the term "Middle."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States District Court for the Southern District of California</span> U.S. federal district court in California

The United States District Court for the Southern District of California is a federal court in the Ninth Circuit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee</span> United States federal district court in Tennessee

The United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee is the federal district court covering the western part of the state of Tennessee. Appeals from the Western District of Tennessee are taken to the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts</span> United States district court

The United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts is the federal district court whose territorial jurisdiction is the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States. The first court session was held in Boston in 1789. The second term was held in Salem in 1790 and court session locations alternated between the two cities until 1813. That year, Boston became the court's permanent home. A western division was opened in Springfield in 1979 and a central division was opened in Worcester in 1987. The court's main building is the John Joseph Moakley Federal Courthouse on Fan Pier in South Boston.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia</span> United States federal district court in Virginia

The United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia is a United States district court.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina</span> United States federal district court in North Carolina

The United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina is a federal district court which covers the western third of North Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Wickersham</span> American politician (1857-1939)

James Wickersham was a district judge for Alaska, appointed by U.S. President William McKinley to the Third Judicial District in 1900. He resigned his post in 1908 and was subsequently elected as Alaska's delegate to Congress, serving until 1917 and then being re-elected in 1930. He was instrumental in the passage of the Organic Act of 1912, which granting Alaska territorial status. He also introduced the Alaska Railroad Bill, legislation to establish McKinley Park, and the first Alaska Statehood Bill in 1916. He was among those responsible for the creation of the Alaska Agricultural College and School of Mines, which later became the University of Alaska. A residence hall on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus is named in his honor.

The Alaska Supreme Court is the state supreme court for the U.S. state of Alaska. Its decisions are binding on all other Alaska state courts, and the only court its decisions may be appealed to is the Supreme Court of the United States. The Alaska Supreme Court hears appeals from lower state courts and also administers the state's judicial system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthony Dimond</span> American judge

Anthony Joseph Dimond was an American Democratic Party politician who was the Alaska Territory Delegate in the United States House of Representatives from 1933 to 1945. Dimond was also an early champion of Alaska statehood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana</span> United States federal district court in Louisiana

The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana is a United States federal court based in New Orleans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alaska Statehood Act</span> 1958 United States law

The Alaska Statehood Act was introduced by Delegate E.L. Bob Bartlett and signed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on July 7, 1958. As a result, Alaska became the 49th U.S. state on January 3, 1959. The law was the culmination of a multi-decade effort by many prominent Alaskans, including Bartlett, Ernest Gruening, Bill Egan, Bob Atwood, and Ted Stevens.

James Arnold von der Heydt was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Alaska.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timothy M. Burgess</span> American judge (born 1956)

Timothy Mark Burgess is a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Alaska. He served as the District of Alaska's U.S. Attorney from 2001 to 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Martin Fitzgerald</span> American judge (1920–2011)

James Martin Fitzgerald was an American lawyer and judge. He served as an associate justice of the Alaska Supreme Court from 1972 to 1975, and resigned that position when he was appointed to serve as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Alaska.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of Alaska</span> 50th and least populated state of U.S

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the U.S. state of Alaska:

The history of the Jews in Alaska began before the Alaska Purchase in 1867. Jews from Imperial Russia lived there periodically as fur traders, and a Jewish community has existed since the 1880s. The Klondike and Nome gold rushes attracted Jews to Alaska to seek their fortunes as miners and businessmen and resulted in the first organized Jewish communities. In the Nazi period, Jewish refugee resettlement in Alaska was seriously considered by the government, but after facing backlash, never came to be. Alaskan Jews played a significant role in business and politics before and after statehood, and have included mayors, judges, senators and governors. Today, there are Jews living in every urban area of the state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laura Bergt</span> Native American political activist (1940–1984)

Laura Mae Bergt was an Iñupiaq athlete, model, politician, and activist for the Iñupiat and other Indigenous Alaskans. Born in the Northwest Arctic Borough of Alaska to bi-racial parents, she grew up in Nome and Kotzebue before attending high school in Sitka. Involved in the Native Olympic movement, she was both a nine-times winner of the Arctic Circle blanket toss event and served as chair of the World Eskimo Indian Olympics in 1966. She worked as a promoter for the new state of Alaska attending trade shows and making marketing appearances as a spokeswoman and guest on radio and television programs. From the 1960s, she worked in various policy positions at the tribal, local, state, and national level to address issues like disability, education, employment opportunities, housing, and poverty, and promoting the rights of Indigenous people.

References

  1. "U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska: Legislative History". Federal Judicial Center . Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  2. "Meet the U.S. Attorney". www.justice.gov. April 25, 2022. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  3. 28 U.S.C.   § 81A
  4. "Court Locations". United States District Court for the District of Alaska. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
  5. Naske, Claus-M. (July 1985). "A History of the Alaska Federal District Court System 1884-1959, and the Creation of the State Court System" (PDF). Retrieved December 15, 2021.
  6. "Bicentennial Celebration of United States Attorneys, 1789–1989" (PDF). Department of Justice. 1989. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
  7. "District of Alaska | About". www.justice.gov. January 29, 2015. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
  8. "The Political Graveyard: U.S. District Attorneys in Alaska". politicalgraveyard.com. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
  9. Chottiner, Lee (April 13, 2009). "Pittsburgh man returns home after stint as Alaska's top prosecutor". Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved April 3, 2024.