Oppose Aaron C. Peterson's Federal Judgeship Nomination

I urge you to oppose the nomination of Aaron C. Peterson for a lifetime appointment as federal judge in Alaska. His refusal to directly acknowledge that Donald Trump lost the 2020 presidential election disqualifies him from serving on the federal bench. During his Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Peterson was asked a straightforward question about whether Trump lost the 2020 election. Instead of answering yes, he used evasive language stating only that "President Joe Biden was certified as the winner of the 2020 presidential election and served as the 46th president of the United States." This is the same scripted response nearly all Trump judicial nominees have deployed to avoid stating a simple truth. A federal judge must be capable of acknowledging basic facts. Peterson's evasiveness extended far beyond election results. He claimed it would be "inappropriate" to answer whether the January 6th insurrection was an insurrection, whether he denounced the attack, whether he agreed with pardons for rioters who assaulted police officers, whether U.S. citizens can be taken to other countries for incarceration, and whether every person born in the United States is a citizen. These are fundamental constitutional questions that any qualified judicial nominee should be able to address directly. Peterson himself admitted that the Trump administration's Office of Legal Policy "reviewed the drafts for completeness and compliance" with his answers. This raises serious concerns about his independence from political influence. Of all Supreme Court precedents, he felt comfortable affirming only Brown v. Board of Education and Loving v. Virginia. A lifetime appointment demands courage, independence, and unwavering commitment to truth. Peterson's testimony demonstrated none of these qualities. Alaska has already experienced problems with federal judge Joshua Kindred, whose appointment raised similar concerns about vetting and qualifications. I ask that you vote against Peterson's confirmation and demand a transparent selection process that produces nominees willing to defend the rule of law without equivocation.