Gov. Mike Dunleavy has appointed Stephen J. Cox as the next Attorney General of Alaska. He replaces Treg Taylor who resigns on Aug. 29, and is expected to announce a run for governor.
Cox served in the first Trump Administration as a senior U.S. Department of Justice official, as a United States Attorney, and as a top lawyer in the private sector.
“Stephen Cox brings a wealth of experience to the Attorney General’s office, and I am confident in his ability to serve Alaskans well,” Dunleavy said in an Aug. 28 announcement. “From his service in the U.S. Department of Justice to his leadership on complex work here in Alaska, Stephen has demonstrated a wide breadth of experience and steadfast dedication to the rule of law.”
The 48-year-old Cox recently served as Senior Vice President, Chief Legal and Strategy Officer at Bristol Bay Industrial, which is an investment platform of Bristol Bay Native Corporation. There, he led the company’s legal and strategic initiatives on major utility, energy and resource projects.
Cox is a Catholic who attends Anchorage’s Holy Family Old Cathedral with his wife, Cristina, and their three children. He supports the Dominican friars of the Western Province through their Alaska outreach ministry, and is a founding board member for the new Hillsdale-modeled classical Christian school in South Anchorage.
Earlier in his career, beginning in 2011, Cox was a principal attorney for Apache Corporation’s Alaska operations, focusing on new oil-and-gas ventures and coordinating regulatory efforts in the Cook Inlet region.
As Alaska’s chief state prosecutor, Cox will oversee all district attorneys, while acting as general counsel to the governor and executive branch, and representing the state in civil and criminal matters before federal and state courts.
“I am honored that Governor Dunleavy has invited me to be a part of the Alaska story,” Cox stated. “And I am grateful to the Governor and the people of Alaska for the opportunity to serve.
Cox said he is committed to “work tirelessly to uphold the rule of law, protect the rights of all Alaskans, and ensure that our state’s laws are enforced with integrity.”
Cox has also held several high-profile federal roles. In 2020, he was appointed U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas, serving as the chief federal law enforcement officer for a 43-county region. In that capacity, he oversaw the prosecution of all federal crimes and civil cases in the district. During his tenure, Cox focused on combating violent crime, child exploitation, and drug trafficking, and strengthened efforts to fight money laundering and public corruption. He also advanced enforcement strategies against complex white-collar offenses, including technology-related schemes, while building public-private partnerships to protect seniors and consumers.
Before serving as a U.S. Attorney, Cox was Deputy Associate Attorney General and Chief of Staff in the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of the Associate Attorney General in Washington, D.C. In that role he focused on healthcare, financial enforcement, and corporate compliance matters. He spearheaded several policy reforms related to regulatory oversight.
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Earlier in his career, Cox served on the FBI’s counterterrorism and intelligence operations in the wake of the 2009 Fort Hood attack, where he helped review the FBI’s actions and make recommendations for improvement. He also worked as a senior advisor to the Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement during the latter part of the Bush Administration. In the private sector, Cox was a senior associate attorney at a multinational law firm in Washington, D.C., focusing on investigations, corporate compliance, and regulatory matters.
Cox graduated summa cum laude with a Juris Doctor from the University of Houston Law Center. He is a member of the Alaska, Texas, and District of Columbia bar associations.
As Alaska’s chief prosecutor with oversight of all district attorneys, Cox will also act as general counsel to the governor and executive branch, and represent the state in civil and criminal matters before federal and state courts.
“The duties are broad, but the role of the Attorney General begins and ends in Alaska and with its people,” Cox said. “It is a privilege to step into this role, and I am committed to serving with fairness and justice.”
Dunleavy will forward Cox’s name to the Alaska Legislature for confirmation during the 2026 legislative session.
9 Comments
Congratulations Mr. Cox!
This is great news for the state of Alaska!
Attends the Dominican’s Parish? This should get interesting…in a good way.
Meanwhile, Fox is reporting that Dunleavy is planning to run against Murkowski in her next race. Can’t these losers just go away?
Big upgrade!
I don’t know Cox but I do know Trump is still surrounded by deep staters looking to turn things sideways. And lawyers are sooo corrupt. Not all, but most. And, lastly, it’s Dunlittle recommending Cox. Is anyone curious why he would want to put his guy in office, esp such a high office? Be careful what you wish for. He’s a good man bc he’s Catholic and goes to church. I bet he volunteers at the local animal shelter too. Today, we should be v careful not to lend to the corruption that is in alaska. Change starts at the bottom. If I’m wrong I will apologize.
You are not wrong. These Persons/PERSONS are not cleaning up the mess they have made so we have to do it for them.
More sickos! When is the crappiest of the bunch ever going to go to the trash and stay there. We have had the Murkowski trash for twenty years, then the Dunleavy trash for going on eight years. All the creeps he can conjure up with more to come by creepy Dunleavy and the mealy mouthed liars he finds under toadstools. Someday we will have better leaders than what has been shoved at us from the “old creepy bunch” so take out your prayer books and start praying!
How about we just start leading ourselves. Are we not the government? Are we not their employers? I have no leaders and no representatives. None of them think like I do. Let’s fire them all and send them all back to Washington D.C., and their Attorneys in the business of attornment to Fleet Street where they should have stayed in the first place. Why don’t we just liquidate their corporations pretending to be our governments?
Both the Clearfield Doctrine and Title 22 U.S.C.A. 286e clearly state that when a government incorporates and starts operating in commerce as a business it loses its sovereign powers and is to be treated like any other corporation or person. All corporations are owned by the Roman Curia and they have corporate file numbers and DUNS numbers. So the Territorial State of Alaska Inc and the MUNICIPAL STATE OF ALASKA INC and their numerous franchises and sub-corporations need to start being honest with the people. Even the Administrative Courts operate under the CRIS system for profit and gain. A conviction brings in lots of payola.