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title: "Sam Vandergaw | KnowJudges"
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---

# Sam Vandergaw

Alaska District Court, Anchorage · District Court Judge

## Profile

- Court: Alaska District Court, Anchorage
- State: Alaska
- Role: District Court Judge
- Service status: active
- Last verified: 2026-10-02

## Biography

### Professional career

- Assistant Attorney General (2019–present) in the Alaska Department of Law, Office of Special Prosecutions
- Alaska District Court judge appointed to the Anchorage (Third District) Court on July 9, 2026, serving until 2029, with a background in public defense and special prosecutions in Alaska
- Chief Assistant Attorney in the Office of Special Prosecutions by 2025
- Earlier roles included Attorney Supervisor in Maricopa County and indigent defense work
- Deputy Public Defender in Maricopa County, Arizona, for eight years

### Education

- Gonzaga University School of Law — J.D. (2009)

### Additional information

- Appointment: July 9, 2026, by Governor Mike Dunleavy, replacing David R. Wallace
- Assistant Public Defender (2018–2019).
- focusing on complex and violent crimes, especially in rural Alaska.
- handling serious criminal cases.

## Sources

- [Official profile](https://courts.alaska.gov/courtdir/3an.htm)
- [Official roster](https://courts.alaska.gov/courtdir/3an.htm)
- [ajc.alaska.gov](https://ajc.alaska.gov/judges/judgemain.html)
- [ajc.alaska.gov](https://ajc.alaska.gov/selection/docs/pressreleases/pr-may26_applicants_2-6-2026.pdf)
- [ajc.alaska.gov](https://ajc.alaska.gov/selection/histlog.html)
- [law.alaska.gov](https://law.alaska.gov/press/releases/2025/041425-OSP.html)
- [ajc.alaska.gov](https://ajc.alaska.gov/judges/judgemain.html)
- [ajc.alaska.gov](https://ajc.alaska.gov/selection/docs/pressreleases/pr-may26_applicants_2-6-2026.pdf)
- [law.alaska.gov](https://law.alaska.gov/press/releases/2025/041425-OSP.html)
- [ajc.alaska.gov](https://ajc.alaska.gov/selection/histlog.html)
- [ajc.alaska.gov](https://ajc.alaska.gov/selection/histlog.html)
- [ajc.alaska.gov](https://ajc.alaska.gov/judges/judgemain.html)
- [ajc.alaska.gov](https://ajc.alaska.gov/selection/docs/pressreleases/pr-may26_applicants_2-6-2026.pdf)
- [ajc.alaska.gov](https://ajc.alaska.gov/selection/histlog.html)
- [law.alaska.gov](https://law.alaska.gov/press/releases/2025/041425-OSP.html)
- [ajc.alaska.gov](https://ajc.alaska.gov/selection/histlog.html)

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## Published courtroom rules

### Shared court rules

- [Presiding Judges' Statewide Order on Use of Cameras and Electronic Devices in Common Areas of Court Facilities](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-4195c4aa8c36145cd11c25b9) — Scope is limited to the court class in the source claim.  Shared court context only; case-type restrictions, exceptions, later amendments and case orders apply. This is not a personal preference or a complete rules inventory. [Official source](https://courts.alaska.gov/jord/docs/2023/statewide-electronic-devices.pdf). Collected 2026-07-26.