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American judge (born 1957) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sharon Louise Gleason (born October 24, 1957)[1] is an American lawyer and jurist who serves as the chief United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Alaska. Appointed by President Barack Obama in 2012, Gleason is the first woman to serve as a federal judge in the District of Alaska.[2] She was previously a state court judge on the Alaska Superior Court from 2001 to 2012.
Sharon L. Gleason | |
|---|---|
| |
| Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Alaska | |
| Assumed office January 1, 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Timothy M. Burgess |
| Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Alaska | |
| Assumed office January 4, 2012 | |
| Appointed by | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | John W. Sedwick |
| Judge of the Alaska Superior Court | |
| In office 2001–2012 | |
| Appointed by | Tony Knowles |
| Constituency | Anchorage (2001–2012) 3rd District (2009–2012) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 24, 1957 Rochester, New York, U.S. |
| Education | Washington University in St. Louis (BA) University of California, Davis (JD) |
Gleason was born in 1957 in Rochester, New York. She graduated from Washington University in St. Louis in 1979 with a Bachelor of Arts degree magna cum laude. From 1979 to 1980, Gleason studied at Tufts University's Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. She then attended the UC Davis School of Law, graduating in 1983 with a Juris Doctor degree and Order of the Coif honors.[3][4][5]
After law school, Gleason was a law clerk for chief justice Edmond W. Burke of the Alaska Supreme Court from 1983 to 1984. She was in private practice at the Alaska law firm Reese, Rice & Volland from 1984 to 1995,[4] and as a sole legal practitioner from 1995 to 2001.
In 2001, Alaska governor Tony Knowles appointed Gleason to be an Alaska Superior Court judge. She then was retained by Alaska voters in 2004 and 2010.[4][5] She is a former musician and member of the Anchorage Symphony Orchestra.[6]
On April 6, 2011, President Barack Obama nominated Gleason to the United States District Court for the District of Alaska to a vacancy that had been created by Judge John W. Sedwick, who assumed senior status on March 13, 2011.[6][7] The nomination occurred on the recommendation of Senator Mark Begich.[6] On September 8, 2011, the Senate Judiciary Committee reported her nomination to the Senate floor by a voice vote.[8] The United States Senate confirmed Gleason by an 87–8 vote on November 15, 2011.[9] She received her commission on January 4, 2012. She became chief judge on January 1, 2022.[5]
Sharon L. Gleason is the granddaughter of Estonian politician Timotheus Grünthal and Estonian feminist and lawyer Vera Poska-Grünthal.[15] Estonian politician, lawyer and diplomat Jaan Poska was her great grandfather.
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