Senate Judiciary Committee forwards two governor nominees — Alaska State Trooper and attorney — to joint session

The Alaska Senate Judiciary Committee on March 21 in Juneau voted to forward two of the governor’s appointees — Sergeant Timothy Collins to the Alaska Police Standards Council and attorney Bill Satterberg to the Alaska Commission on Judicial Conduct — to a joint session for consideration.

The committee’s referral was made by Senator Peter Kiel and adopted without recorded objection; committee staff signed paperwork following the motion. The committee conducted confirmation hearings and heard public testimony on both nominations before taking action.

Timothy Collins, introduced himself as “Timothy Collins,” a sergeant with the Alaska State Troopers. Collins told the committee he has served in law enforcement for nearly 13 years, beginning with New Castle County (Del.) Police Department in 2012 before lateraling to the Alaska State Troopers in 2021 and being promoted to sergeant in 2023 at the Kodiak post. He described patrol and detective experience, including work in a Special Victims Unit, and said he has served as a patrol supervisor. “If confirmed, I will work diligently to uphold the highest standards of law enforcement in Alaska, ensuring that our officers are equipped with the training, resources, and support they need to serve our communities effectively,” Collins said.

During questioning, senators pressed Collins on integrity standards and training for rural postings. Collins described being the lone trooper on multi‑village assignments in Western Alaska and said officers posted to remote communities need additional preparation. He recommended more advanced sexual‑assault and domestic‑violence training for officers assigned to Western Alaska posts so they “have an idea of what you’re getting yourself into” and can take a victim‑centered approach.

Bill Satterberg, introduced himself as an attorney from Fairbanks and described a long legal career that included time in the Alaska Department of Law, appellate practice, and work in the Pacific Islands. Satterberg said he took the Judicial Conduct Commission role seriously and emphasized the importance of impartiality and recusal where conflicts arise. He told senators the commission is not empowered to remove judges from office; the Alaska Supreme Court decides removal and can act on the commission’s recommendations.

Public testimony on the Satterberg nomination was critical. Callers and remote commenters raised concerns about transparency and records access at the Alaska Commission on Judicial Conduct (ACJC) and said prior ACJC practice had limited public input. Ed Martin told the committee he opposed further appointments to the commission and asked lawmakers to review past records and complaints. Scott Egger and Suki Miller also urged opposition to Satterberg; Egger said he was “a hard no” on the nominee and cited what he described as ACJC failures on records requests and public access. Miller cited a 2020 opinion piece by Satterberg questioning aspects of the judicial selection process and said she worried the nominee would seek to change the state’s selection practices.

After the hearing and public testimony, Senator Kiel moved to forward both nominations to a joint session. The committee accepted that motion and signed paperwork to transmit the nominations; the committee did not record a roll‑call vote in the transcript.

The nominations will next be considered in a joint session for confirmation. The committee announced upcoming hearings on March 24 and March 26, including additional appointments and the first hearing for Senate Bill 17.