type: timeline_event
The Senate voted 58-39 to confirm Aaron Christian Peterson to the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska, filling one of the oldest unfilled federal judgeships in the nation. Seven Democratic senators—Duckworth, Durbin, Hassan, Kaine, Kelly, Shaheen, and Whitehouse—crossed party lines to support the nomination, which Trump originally submitted November 18, 2025, and resubmitted January 5, 2026, after sine die adjournment.
Peterson, a registered Republican state natural resources attorney at the Alaska Department of Law, replaces Judge Tim Burgess who retired December 31, 2021. Alaska's federal judiciary had operated with only one sitting judge since Joshua Kindred resigned in July 2024 amid a misconduct scandal, creating a critical vacancy in the three-judge district. The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced Peterson's nomination 14-8 on December 11, 2025, following November 19 hearings.
During confirmation proceedings, Peterson drew scrutiny for refusing to acknowledge Trump lost the 2020 election, echoing patterns of election denial increasingly prevalent among Trump judicial nominees. The confirmation represents the 268th Article III judge appointed during Trump's presidency, part of a systematic effort to capture federal courts through Federalist Society-vetted nominees advancing originalist interpretations favorable to executive power and corporate interests.
Peterson announced his immediate resignation from the Alaska Department of Law following the vote. Alaska's second vacant federal judgeship remains unfilled with no announced nominee. The confirmation continues Trump's aggressive judicial appointment pace, with 33 judges confirmed as of February 5, 2026—exceeding Biden's 46, Obama's 16, and Bush's 34 at comparable points in their terms, demonstrating Senate Republicans' prioritization of lifetime judicial appointments over legislative functions.