---
title: "Bethany S. Harbison | KnowJudges"
canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/bethany-harbison-ak"
page_type: "judge_profile"
updated: "2026-10-07"
---

# Bethany S. Harbison

Alaska Court of Appeals · Judge

## Profile

- Court: Alaska Court of Appeals
- State: Alaska
- Role: Judge
- Service status: former
- Last verified: 2026-10-02

## Biography

### Professional career

- Judge, Alaska Court of Appeals, appointed 2018; retired in 2025
- Bethany S. Harbison is a judge on the Alaska Court of Appeals, appointed in 2018 and retained in 2022
- 2012–2018: Judge, Fairbanks (Fourth Judicial District) Superior Court
- 1993–1995: Judicial law clerk, Hon. Mary E. Greene, Fairbanks Superior Court
- 1991–1992: Intern, Alaska Public Defender Agency; summer associate, Pierce Atwood Scribner Allen Smith & Lancaster, Maine
- Superior Court judge and presiding judge

### Education

- Harvard Law School — J.D. (1993)

### Additional information

- 2005–2012: Magistrate/Standing Master, Fairbanks District Court
- 1995–2005: Assistant Public Defender, Alaska Public Defender Agency
- Harbison has served on the Alaska Supreme Court’s Criminal Rules Committee, Diversity & Equality Committee, and the Anti-Sexual Harassment Working Group.
- She is a member of the Alaska Bar Association and the.

## Sources

- [Official profile](https://courts.alaska.gov/judges/)
- [Official roster](https://courts.alaska.gov/judges/)
- [ajc.alaska.gov](https://ajc.alaska.gov/judges/judgformer.html)
- [ajc.alaska.gov](https://ajc.alaska.gov/selection/histlog.html)
- [courts.alaska.gov](https://courts.alaska.gov/judges/)
- [courts.alaska.gov](https://courts.alaska.gov/main/ctinfo.htm)
- [digital.akbizmag.com](https://digital.akbizmag.com/issue/march-2019/right-moves/)
- [www.courts.alaska.gov](https://www.courts.alaska.gov/admin/docs/fy25-narratives.pdf)
- [aws.state.ak.us](https://aws.state.ak.us/OnlinePublicNotices/Notices/View.aspx?id=221440)
- [Judge Bethany Harbison biography](https://courts.alaska.gov/judges/docs/bsh.pdf)
- [2018 presiding judge appointment](https://courts.alaska.gov/web/media/docs/pr-pjappt2018.pdf)
- [ajc.alaska.gov](https://ajc.alaska.gov/judges/judgformer.html)
- [ajc.alaska.gov](https://ajc.alaska.gov/selection/histlog.html)
- [courts.alaska.gov](https://courts.alaska.gov/judges/)
- [courts.alaska.gov](https://courts.alaska.gov/main/ctinfo.htm)
- [digital.akbizmag.com](https://digital.akbizmag.com/issue/march-2019/right-moves/)
- [www.courts.alaska.gov](https://www.courts.alaska.gov/admin/docs/fy25-narratives.pdf)
- [aws.state.ak.us](https://aws.state.ak.us/OnlinePublicNotices/Notices/View.aspx?id=221440)
- [ajc.alaska.gov](https://ajc.alaska.gov/judges/judgformer.html)
- [ajc.alaska.gov](https://ajc.alaska.gov/selection/histlog.html)
- [courts.alaska.gov](https://courts.alaska.gov/judges/)
- [courts.alaska.gov](https://courts.alaska.gov/main/ctinfo.htm)
- [digital.akbizmag.com](https://digital.akbizmag.com/issue/march-2019/right-moves/)
- [www.courts.alaska.gov](https://www.courts.alaska.gov/admin/docs/fy25-narratives.pdf)
- [aws.state.ak.us](https://aws.state.ak.us/OnlinePublicNotices/Notices/View.aspx?id=221440)

## JSON-LD

```json
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@graph": [
    {
      "@type": "WebPage",
      "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/bethany-harbison-ak",
      "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/bethany-harbison-ak",
      "name": "Bethany S. Harbison | KnowJudges",
      "description": "Bethany S. Harbison, Alaska Court of Appeals. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.",
      "dateModified": "2026-10-07",
      "isPartOf": {
        "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website"
      },
      "mainEntity": {
        "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/bethany-harbison-ak#judge"
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Person",
      "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/bethany-harbison-ak#judge",
      "name": "Bethany S. Harbison",
      "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/bethany-harbison-ak",
      "jobTitle": "Judge",
      "worksFor": {
        "@type": "GovernmentOrganization",
        "name": "Alaska Court of Appeals"
      },
      "sameAs": [
        "https://courts.alaska.gov/judges/"
      ],
      "alumniOf": [
        {
          "@type": "EducationalOrganization",
          "name": "Harvard Law School"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
      "itemListElement": [
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 1,
          "name": "KnowJudges",
          "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj"
        },
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 2,
          "name": "Alaska",
          "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/state/alaska"
        },
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 3,
          "name": "Bethany S. Harbison",
          "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/bethany-harbison-ak"
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}
```