North Dakota Judicial Conference
Minutes
November 21, 2011Radisson HotelBismarck, ND
Chair Carol Ronning Kapsner called the business meeting of the Judicial Conference to order at 9:02
a.m. on November 21, 1011. Sally Holewa, State Court Administrator, called the roll:
Judges of Supreme Court
Gerald W. VandeWalle
Dale V. Sandstrom
Mary Muehlen Maring
Carol Ronning Kapsner
Daniel J. Crothers
Judges of District Court
Donovan Foughty
Laurie A. Fontaine
M. Richard Geiger
John C. McClintock
Michael G. Sturdevant
Sonja Clapp
Joel D. Medd
Frank L. Racek
John C. Irby
Steven L. Marquart
Lisa K. Fair McEvers
Wade L. Webb
John E. Greenwood
James D. Hovey
Thomas E. Merrick
Daniel D. Narum
Jay A. Schmitz
Gail Hagerty
Cynthia M. Feland
Bruce B. Haskell
Donald L. Jorgensen
David E. Reich
Bruce Romanick
Thomas J. Schneider
William A. Herauf
Zane Anderson
H. Patrick Weir
William W. McLees
Todd Cresap
Richard L. Hagar
Gary H. Lee
David W. Nelson
Joshua B. Rustad
Judges of Municipal Court
Robert A. Keogh
Surrogate Judges
Ronald E. Goodman
Benny A. Graff
William F. Hodny
Everett Nels Olson
Allan L. Schmalenberger
Kirk Smith
Clerk of Supreme CourtPenny Miller
Members of the Bar
Michael F. Daley
A quorum was declared and the business meeting proceeded.
There being no report submitted by the Standing Committee on Legislation, Chair Kapsner asked
for suggestions for future legislative changes or areas of the law the committee should study.
Judge Hagerty announced that the Board of Governors of the State Bar Association has created a
task force to examine the criminal justice needs in the western part of the state. She said they
will be asking for volunteers and urged the members of the conference to consider serving on the
task force.
Chair Kapsner asked for approval of the minutes from the preceding conference. Judge Herauf
moved and Justice Sandstrom seconded that the minutes of the June 16, 2011 meeting be
approved. The motion carried and the minutes were approved.
Chair Kapsner then called for any additional business to come before the conference. Judge
McClintock discussed the pro se service center in Alaska and suggested that the Judicial
Conference or some other committee of the court be tasked with developing a similar program
for North Dakota. After further discussion, it was decided that the Executive Committee of the
Judicial Conference should develop a recommendation to the court as to whether a new work
group or committee of the Judicial Conference should be formed to consider this suggestion or if
it should be referred to an already existing committee.
Chair Kapsner expressed her appreciation to all who volunteered to serve on the Pattern Jury
Instruction Commission. She announced that immediately following the business meeting today,
there would be a meeting of the Executive Committee of the Judicial Conference to consider an
appointment to the Pattern Jury Instruction Commission and the issue raised by Judge
McClintock.
In other business, Judge Goodman announced that he has asked staff attorney Jim Ganje to send
all judges an e-mail under his signature as Chair of the Judicial Ethics Advisory Committee. The
purpose of the e-mail is to remind judges of the committee and the service it offers.
There being no further business, it was motioned and seconded that the meeting be adjourned.
The motion carried and the meeting was ended at 9:17 a.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Sally Holewa
State Court Administrator
Executive Secretary to the Judicial Conference