How COVID-19 is pushing down filings across practices

Law 360: "Federal court filings in many practice areas saw declines last month as the legal system continues to grapple with the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, with tax and copyright cases experiencing the most dramatic drops."

Face masks required in all N.D. federal court buildings

Effective immediately, all visitors, employees, and contractors in North Dakota's federal court buildings are required to wear face masks or face coverings when in any common spaces, including courtrooms.

As North Dakota slashes its prison population amid pandemic, other states lag behind

Forum News Service: "North Dakota has done more than any other state in the U.S. to reduce its prison population during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a nonprofit group's analysis."

Legal experts see tough road for jury trials while pandemic rages

Courthouse News Service: "As the Covid-19 pandemic prevents people from gathering in courtrooms, courts throughout the United States are exploring new ways of preserving the right to trial by jury."

Richard “Richie” E. T. Smith 1952-2020

Longtime Wahpeton attorney Richard “Richie” E. T. Smith died May 22. A Creighton law school graduate, he was admitted to the N.D. bar in 1977. A drive by funeral parade will be held on Tuesday, May 26, 2020 from 3-5 p.m. on Augustana Drive on Otter Tail Lake, Minn.

8th Circuit decides N.D. case

The United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit has affirmed the district court's sentence in a North Dakota manslaughter case.

Dakota Datebook: Peggy Lee’s war with Disney

Prairie Public: "Peggy Lee was born on this date in 1920 in Jamestown, North Dakota. She is known for her singing, movie, and television career. She is not well known for her war with the Walt Disney Company."

U.S.: Chief justice says pandemic teaches humility, compassion

Associated Press: "Chief Justice John Roberts told graduating seniors at his son’s high school that the coronavirus has 'pierced our illusion of certainty and control' and he counseled the students to make their way with humility, compassion and courage in a world turned upside down."

S.D.: COVID-19 pandemic bogs down court system

Black Hills Pioneer: "Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the wheels of justice continue to turn in Lawrence County. They’re just going a bit slower than usual."

Mont.: Court says dinosaur fossils worth millions aren't minerals

NBC Montana News: "A divided Montana Supreme Court says under state law, dinosaur fossils aren't minerals. Wednesday's ruling has implications in an ongoing legal battle over the ownership of millions of dollars of fossils found on an eastern Montana ranch where the surface and mineral rights are owned by different people."