Senator Murkowski Introduces Kyle Reardon at Judiciary Committee Confirmation Hearing

09.16.26 Senator Murkowski Introduces Kyle Reardon at Judiciary Committee Confirmation Hearing Washington, DC— U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) introduced United States District Judge nominee Kyle Reardon at his Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing earlier today. Senator Murkowski highlighted Reardon’s distinguished career in public service across Alaska, including his service as a Judge Advocate in the U.S. Army, an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Alaska, and, since 2021, a U.S. Magistrate Judge for the District of Alaska. Senator Murkowski welcomed Reardon’s nomination and underscored the importance of his confirmation to restoring Alaska’s District Court to full capacity. Find Senator Murkowski’s remarks linked here. Transcript: Chairman Durbin, members of the Judiciary Committee, thanks for the opportunity to introduce Kyle Reardon to the committee today. You haven't seen me before the Judiciary Committee in some time. The District of Alaska has not been fully constituted as a court since 2022, so we are pleased to be able to fill this remaining vacancy. Before I speak to Mr. Reardon's qualifications for this position, I briefly want to recognize some of his family members that are here in the audience to support him. They've come all the way from Alaska and other parts of the country as well. We know being in public service is really a family affair, and this family is certainly supportive of Kyle. Kyle's wife, Kristin, I've known through her good work for the Denali Commission in Alaska. They have two sons that are with them today, Luke and Owen, both at West High School. We're all alums of Romig Middle School, so we've got that in common. I first met Owen when he and his mom were taking a walk through a shared neighborhood and they were picking up trash, so I thought that that was a pretty good indicator of community responsibility. Kyle's parents are also with us. Kyle is now the second Reardon to appear before a U.S. Senate committee. His dad was the Auditor General for the U.S. Army before becoming Principal Deputy Inspector General for the Department of Defense under former President George W. Bush. He's hoping that the questions Kyle gets today are going to be a little bit easier than the ones that Senator Stevens put before him, but we will see. Kyle describes his mom as the anchor of the family. She was the neighborhood greeter and cookie maker, but also a strong civil servant for over 25 years. Kyle is also joined by his brother and sister-in-law, who came from Missouri to be with him today. Again, the support from family members really says it all. Kyle brings the experience, the intellect, the integrity, and the judicial temperament that I believe is necessary to be an effective U.S. District Court judge. As has been noted by you, Mr. Chairman, he spent his entire legal career in public service: first as a Judge Advocate for the U.S. Army for six years, then he was a federal prosecutor for 15 years—including seven as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Alaska—and he is now serving as a U.S. Magistrate Judge for the district, and he has been in that position since 2021. In his current role, Mr. Reardon has handled more than 3,000 criminal and almost 500 civil matters. He's also been selected to serve on various Ninth Circuit committees. This is an individual that is not only qualified for this position, he is ready to hit the ground running as a U.S. District Court judge. Again, we certainly need this given the extended vacancies that the court has experienced. I want to briefly highlight some of Mr. Reardon's work as an Assistant U.S. Attorney that coincides with some of the things that I've been working on as we work to improve public health and safety in Alaska, and I know are priorities of the committee as well. Mr. Reardon was the lead attorney on more than 120 cases, many of which were related to child sexual abuse material or sex trafficking. This work included being the lead attorney in 10 trials and serving as Project Safe Childhood coordinator, Senior Trial Counsel, and Deputy Criminal Chief. Mr. Reardon also brings an understanding of the issues that face rural Alaska to the bench. He has done outreach as part of the U.S. Attorney's Office Rural Alaska Anti-Violence Enforcement Initiative. This was an initiative that was created after Attorney General Barr's visit to the state back in 2018. He has also been involved in the effort to address our drug issues in this state. He was involved with a multi-defendant drug case involving significant amounts of methamphetamine and heroin being brought into the Kenai Peninsula. After this conspiracy was brought down, there was a local law enforcement officer that shared that not only did the drug trade dry up in this area for a period of time, but robberies and violence decreased. It is important to note in messaging that has been shared, he speaks not only to the positive impact he has had as he helps those who have been victims, but what it means to ensure that others do not become victims—whether victims of child sexual abuse or victims of drug violence. So, his generosity of spirit, I think, has shown through. To summarize, I want to thank Kyle Reardon (and) his family for agreeing to serve as U.S. District Court Judge. I appreciate the committee for scheduling his confirmation hearing so quickly after President Trump nominated him, and I appreciate the President and the White House [Counsel's Office] for working with us to advance Mr. Reardon's nomination. Thank you. ### Print Email Tweet