Personal jurisdiction is the authority a court has to make legally enforceable orders related to a person or entity and the property of the person or entity, and usually arises when a person has been sued in a lawsuit. For a court to have personal jurisdiction, the person or entity generally (1) must be a resident of the state in which the court is located; (2) as a nonresident, must have initiated sufficient minimum contacts with the state in which the lawsuit is filed; or (3) must have agreed to be governed by the laws of the state (in a contract or website terms) in which the lawsuit is filed.

In Alaska, as in other states, personal jurisdiction refers to the power of a state court to bring a person or entity into its court system and to make decisions that are legally binding upon them. For an Alaska court to establish personal jurisdiction, the defendant must typically have a substantial connection to the state. This can be established if the defendant is a resident of Alaska or if the nonresident defendant has sufficient minimum contacts with the state, such as conducting business or committing a tort within Alaska. Additionally, a person or entity can consent to the jurisdiction of Alaska courts by agreeing to it in a contract or through terms and conditions, such as those found on a website. Alaska's long-arm statute, found in Alaska Statute 09.05.015, outlines specific circumstances under which the state's courts may exercise personal jurisdiction over nonresidents. These provisions are consistent with the due process requirements of the U.S. Constitution, which mandate that exercising jurisdiction must not violate traditional notions of fair play and substantial justice.