Peterson, a registered Republican and the state’s natural resources attorney, was nominated by President Donald Trump. His confirmation fills one of the oldest open seats in the entire U.S. federal court system—a seat left vacant when Judge Tim Burgess retired at the end of 2021.
A FAILED DEMOCRAT BLOCKADE
While 39 Democrats voted “NO” in an attempt to stall the President’s agenda, the blockade ultimately crumbled. In a surprising twist of bipartisanship, six Democrats—including Senator Dick Durbin, the highest-ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee—crossed the aisle to vote “YES.”
Carl Tobias, the Williams Chair in Law at the University of Richmond, noted that this wasn’t a strict party-line vote. “I think that means that some of the Democrats are signaling that if a person looks like he’s going to be competent… they’re going to move forward and vote for that person,” Tobias explained.
Peterson also played his cards perfectly during the confirmation process. When pressed by Democrats last year to reveal his personal opinions on whether President Trump lost the 2020 election or the legality of January 6, Peterson wisely refused to answer, noting that he might have to impartially rule on such matters as a judge.
BYPASSING THE ESTABLISHMENT
Alaska Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan played a pivotal role in getting Peterson on the bench. Sullivan organized a special committee to examine Peterson’s application and forward it directly to President Trump, intentionally bypassing the usual, establishment-heavy procedure that relies on advice from the Alaska Bar Association.
