Chief Bankruptcy Judge Gary A. Spraker Appointed Chief Judge of the Ninth Circuit BAP
N E W S R E L E A S E
Oct. 27, 2026
Contact: Katherine Rodriguez
mediarelease@ce9.uscourts.gov
SAN FRANCISCO —Chief Bankruptcy Judge Gary A. Spraker, of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Alaska, has been appointed chief judge of the Ninth Circuit Bankruptcy Appellate Panel, or BAP, which hears appeals of decisions made by federal bankruptcy courts in the western states. He will become chief judge of the BAP on November 1, succeeding Chief Judge Julia W. Brand, of the Central District of California.
Judge Spraker was appointed to the bankruptcy court in 2012 and was reappointed to a second 14-year term on Oct. 4, 2026. He is currently the only active bankruptcy judge for the District of Alaska. Judge Spraker maintains his chambers in Anchorage.
Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Judge Spraker graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Stetson University in 1985 and attended the University of Denver, Sturm College of Law, where he graduated in 1988. Judge Spraker began his legal career in 1988 as an associate at the Denver law firm of Morrison & Foerster, before moving to Anchorage, Alaska, where he clerked for the Honorable John W. Sedwick of the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska from 1992 to 1994. After his clerkship, Judge Spraker was an associate from 1994 to 2002 at Bundy & Christianson, where his practice mainly involved representing Chapter 7 trustees. From 2002 to 2012, Judge Spraker was a partner at Christianson & Spraker (formerly Christianson, Boutin & Spraker), where he represented trustees, debtors and creditors in Chapters 7, 11 and 13 matters.
Judge Spraker is the first American College of Bankruptcy fellow in Alaska who was inducted in 2012. He was a contributing author of the Alaska Bankruptcy Exemption Manual and previously served as chair of the Alaska State Bar Association’s Bankruptcy Section.
The Judicial Council of the Ninth Circuit–the governing body for federal courts in the western states and two Pacific island jurisdictions–established the BAP in 1979 as an alternative forum for hearing bankruptcy appeals. The council is responsible for the appointments of judges to the BAP, which is authorized seven bankruptcy judges who serve seven-year terms and may be reappointed for an additional three years. BAP judges are precluded from hearing matters arising from their respective districts.
Headquartered in the Richard H. Chambers U.S. Court of Appeals Building in Pasadena, California, the BAP has historically handled between 45% and 60% of all bankruptcy appeals in the Ninth Circuit (district courts hear the remainder). In fiscal year 2025, 434 new bankruptcy appeals were filed in the circuit, a 9% increase from FY 2024. The BAP disposed of 227 appeals, up 27% from FY 2024, and handled 47% of all bankruptcy appeals, and the district courts handled 53%.
The Ninth Circuit was the first federal circuit to establish a bankruptcy appellate panel. For more information, visit https://www.bap9.uscourts.gov/.
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