Attorney Aaron Peterson addressed Alaska’s first-ever Wildland Fire Prevention Academy in February 2024, underscoring the role of legal professionals in wildfire enforcement and inter-agency collaboration.” Alaska Wildland Fire Information
President Donald J. Trump taps Alaska‑born prosecutor and natural‑resources litigator for U.S. District Court in Alaska
By Gina Hill | Alaska Headline Living | November 2025
In a post on his social media site Truth Social, former President Donald J. Trump announced his intent to nominate Aaron Christian Peterson to serve as a judge for the United States District Court for the District of Alaska. Trump praised Peterson’s Alaska‑based prosecutorial and natural‑resources litigation experience, saying: “Because he has fought to protect The Last Frontier’s greatest assets, including its people, Aaron has proven he has the Wisdom and Courage to get the job done.”
Strong Alaska résumé
Peterson, born in Anchorage in 1981, served in the United States Air Force from 2000–2003 before earning a BBA in finance from the University of Alaska Anchorage in 2007 and a JD from the Gonzaga University School of Law in 2010. Alliance for Justice+2Alaska Beacon+2 He began his legal career clerking for an Anchorage Superior Court judge, then moved into roles including municipal prosecutor in Anchorage, state special prosecutions, and since 2019, senior assistant attorney general with the Alaska Department of Law’s Natural Resources Section. Alliance for Justice+1
Support, scrutiny and what lies ahead
Sen. Dan Sullivan (R‑Alaska) said Peterson “has demonstrated a commitment to the rule of law and federalism” and stressed that the job of a federal judge “is to interpret the law, not to make policy.” Alaska Beacon Meanwhile, a recent report flagged that Peterson submitted as writing samples eleven state press‑releases and a 2005 letter to the editor. No law‑review articles or published scholarly commentary. Reporting From Alaska
The next step: the White House must transmit the formal nomination to the Senate, where the Judiciary Committee will hold hearings, followed by a vote. Petitions for recusal and past writings will likely receive heavy attention given the lifetime tenure of the post.
What to watch
- Will Alaska’s other Senator, Lisa Murkowski, give her consent under the “blue‑slip” tradition? Murkowski has said she intends to back the nomination. Alaska Beacon
- How will Peterson’s natural‑resources litigation background shape his handling of fisheries and subsistence cases common in Alaska?
- Will his limited public writing record prompt tougher questioning on legal philosophy, especially around judicial precedent and interpretation?
With this nomination, the Trump administration continues its push to reshape the federal bench with younger conservative jurists, while Alaska looks to finally fill its chronically understaffed federal courtroom.
