Sharon Gleason
Chief Judge of the US District Court for the District of Alaska since 2022.
Chief Judge Sharon Gleason dismissed the Justice Department's suit to stop Alaska certifying any Senate winner but Dan S. Sullivan on 1 November 2026. By 10 November Mary Peltola led him by 4,250 first-choice votes.
Last refreshed: 11 November 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Timeline for Sharon Gleason
Peltola sues Alaska for absentee records
US Midterms 2026Dismissed DOJ's suit to stop certification of any other winner
US Midterms 2026: Peltola leads Sullivan by 0.3 pointsBackground
Sharon Gleason has led the federal district court in Alaska as chief judge since 2022. In November 2026 she dismissed a federal challenge to the state's Senate count before the ranked-choice tabulation.
President Barack Obama nominated Gleason in 2011, and she took her seat in January 2012 as the first woman to serve as a federal district judge in Alaska. She was an Alaska Superior Court judge from 2001 to 2011, after 17 years in private practice in Anchorage.
Alaska has a single federal district, so its chief judge hears the federal suits that reach the state's elections. Her November ruling turned on timing rather than the merits of the department's claim: she found the relief infeasible because ballots were already cast and mixed.
Her ruling cleared the count
On 1 November 2026 Gleason dismissed the department's suit, which sought to stop Alaska certifying anyone but Sullivan. She called the relief "infeasible" because ballots were already cast and mixed, and the department said it would appeal. Election night then left Peltola ahead 48.2% to 47.9% on first choices, with 74.3% of the expected vote counted.
The count her ruling left untouched has since widened. In the count published late on 10 November, Peltola's first-choice lead stood at 4,250, from more than 245,000 ballots. Alaska tabulates ranked choices on 18 November, with certification planned by 25 November. No appeal ruling had been reported.
Which judge dismissed the DOJ lawsuit over Alaska's Senate race?
Why did Judge Gleason dismiss the Alaska certification suit?
Who appointed Sharon Gleason?
Written with AI from Lowdown's published reporting. Not individually reviewed by an editor. Updated 11 November 2026. Editorial standards.