Born in 1952 in Dickinson, N.D. Earned rank of Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America, 1968. Graduated from Dickinson High School, 1970. Attended Dickinson State College, 1970-1972. Graduated from the University of North Dakota, 1974. Earned law degree from the University of North Dakota School of Law, 1977. Engaged in private legal practice in Dickinson, 1977-2012. President of the North Dakota Trial Lawyers Association, 1987. President of the State Bar Association of North Dakota, 1998-1999. Elected Judge of the Southwest Judicial District in 2012.