James D. Gion

District Court Judge

Appointed: 2015 - Present

Judge Gion was appointed as District Court Judge by Governor Jack Dalrymple in 2015 for the Southwest Judicial District judgeship #1 located in Dickinson, ND.  He was then elected in 2018. 

Born in 1953; Judge Gion is a lifelong resident of Hettinger County.  Judge Gion graduated from Regent High School in 1971, and received his Bachelor of Administration from University of North Dakota in 1976. He obtained his Juris Doctor from the University of North Dakota School of Law in 1982, and was admitted to the N.D. Bar on October 11, 1982.  He was in private legal practice in Hettinger County from 1982-2015 and was the Hettinger County State's Attorney from 1991-2015. Judge Gion also served as State's Attorney of Bowman and Slope Counties. 

Gerald G. Glaser

District Court Judge

Elected: 1977 - 1994

Born September 26, 1932, Mandan, N.D. Graduate: Mandan High School; BJC; Ph.B., U.N.D.; J.D. University of North Dakota Law School, 1956. Admitted to Bar, 1956. Practiced in Bismarck 1956 to 1971; counsel for Public Service Commission; Assistant State's Attorney; County Justice; Municipal Judge. Appointed Judge of Burleigh County Court of Increased Jurisdiction in 1971, and elected in 1975. Elected District Judge 1976, 1982, and 1988. Retired in 1994. Served as a Surrogate Judge 1997-2002.

Samuel L. Glaspell

District Court Judge

Elected: 1897 - 1905

Judge Glaspell was born January 17, 1852. He came to this territory in the early eighties, locating shortly thereafter at Jamestown, North Dakota. He was a devoted student of the law and attained a high place in his profession. He served as State Legislature and as State's Attorney of Stutsman County. He was Judge of the Fifth Judicial District from 1897 until 1905. Judge Glaspell died on May 24, 1908.

Ronald E. Goodman

District Court Judge/Surrogate Judge

Elected: 2001 - Present

Born September 17, 1947, Grand Forks, ND. B.S., St. John's University, Collegeville, MN 1969; M.A., University of North Dakota 1974; J.D., UND School of Law 1981. Engaged in private law practice 1981-90. Elected county judge for Dickey and LaMoure Counties in November 1990. Elected district judge 1994, 1998 and 2004. Treasurer, ND District Judges Association, past president Southeast Judicial District Bar Association; past member ND Bar Association Board of Directors; Lions Club; Oakes Chamber of Commerce. Married: wife, Mary Jo. Two sons: Chris and Eric. Retired as district judge on Aug. 1, 2006.

Benny A. Graff

District Court Judge/Surrogate Judge

Appointed: 1974 - 2004

Born in 1938, Hibbing, MN. Hibbing Junior College, A.S., 1958; University of North Dakota, B.S.Ch.E, 1961; J.D., University of North Dakota School of Law, 1964, with Order of the Coif; Editor, North Dakota Law Review. Admitted to the North Dakota Bar, 1964. Private practice in Mandan, ND, 1964-70. Corporate counsel for S.C. Johnson, Inc., Racine, Wisconsin, 1970-71; Assistant Counsel, U. S. Senate Subcommittee for Judicial Improvement, 1971; private practice in Carrington, ND, 1971-74. Appointed District Judge, February 1, 1974; elected 1974, 1980, 1986, 1992, and 1998. Presiding Judge from 1976 until his retirement. Chief Presiding Judge in 1987. Retired as District Judge, January 31, 2004. Appointed Surrogate Judge, 2004. Married: wife, Kay; two children.

Frederick J. Graham

District Court Judge

Appointed: 1919 - 1920

Judge Graham was born in Stockbridge, Michigan, on March 31, 1881. He moved with his family to Merricourt, North Dakota, in 1894. He graduated from the Ellendale High School in 1899; Normal Industrial School of Ellendale in 1902, and from the Law School of the University of North Dakota in 1906, he was admitted to the State Bar of North Dakota that same year. Practiced law at Oakes and Ellendale, North Dakota, served as State's Attorney of Dickey County for one term, 1915-1916. In 1919 he was appointed Judge of the Third Judicial District, by Governor Lynn J. Frazier, he served in that capacity until 1920. He was Chairman of the North Dakota Republican State Central Committee 1926-1927; Republican National Committeeman 1928-1932, and member of the House of Representatives of North Dakota from 1943-1949. He was elected and served as president of the North Dakota State Bar Association from 1949 to 1950. Judge Graham died on September 21, 1953.

Dann E. Greenwood

District Court Judge

Elected: 2012 - Present

Judge Greenwood was elected as District Court Judge in 2012 for the Southwest Judicial District judgeship #3 located in Dickinson, ND.  He was then elected in 2012; and re-elected in 2018.  

Born in 1952; Judge Greenwood is a native of Dickinson, N.D. He earned the rank of Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America in 1968. Judge Greenwood graduated from Dickinson High School in 1970; and attended Dickinson State College from 1970-1972. He went on to graduate from the University of North Dakota in 1974; and earned his Juris Doctor from the University of North Dakota School of Law in 1977. He was admitted to the N.D. Bar on October 7, 1977.  He was in private legal practice in Dickinson from 1977-2012; and was the President of the North Dakota Trial Lawyers Association in 1987. In 1998, he held the position of President of the State Bar Association of North Dakota for one year. 

John E. Greenwood

District Court Judge

Elected: 2003 - 2017

Born in 1949. Graduated from the University of North Dakota in 1971 and from the University of North Dakota School of Law in 1975. Private practice in Jamestown, 1975-1993. Served as an assistant state's attorney for Stutsman County, 1977-1986. Appointed Stutsman County State's Attorney in May 1993; elected in 1994; reelected in 1998. Appointed Southeast Judicial District Judge by Governor Edward T. Schafer in 1999. Elected District Judge in 2002. Reelected 2006, 2012. Member, North Dakota Legal Counsel for Indigents Commission. Married: wife, Susan. Three children: Joseph, Karen, and Michael. Retired as district judge effective Aug. 1, 2017.

John W. Grinsteiner

District Court Judge

Elected: 2015 - 2021

Born in Bismarck, ND. Bachelor's Degree from the University of North Dakota and Bismarck State College. Law Degree from University of North Dakota School of Law, 1998. In private practice in Bismarck, 1998-2003. Judicial referee and magistrate for the South Central Judicial District, 2003-2015. Appointed district judge in 2015, elected 2018.

Arthur Jackson Gronna

District Court Judge

Appointed: 1933 - 1962

Judge Gronna was born in Lakota, North Dakota on July 19, 1897. Received his A. B. degree from the George Washington University, in 1921; L. L. B. degree from Harvard University, in 1925. He was admitted to the North Dakota State Bar in 1926, he practiced law at Williston, North Dakota. Served as Assistant State's Attorney from Williams County in 1927; State's Attorney 1928-1933. Elected Attorney General of North Dakota in 1932, resigned on November 1, 1933 to accept appointment as District Judge of the Fifth Judicial District, by Governor William Langer, he served in that capacity until 1962. Judge Gronna died January 19, 1965.

Richard W. Grosz

District Court Judge

Elected: 1995 - 2012

Born in 1953, Breckenridge, MN. Raised in Wahpeton, ND. B.S., University of Nebraska, 1975; J.D. with Distinction, University of Nebraska College of Law 1984. Previous positions: Assistant Attorney General for State of North Dakota; Chief Prosecutor for City of Wahpeton; Public Defender, 8th Judicial District, State of Minnesota; instructor in criminal law, business organization law, and administrative agency law at Interstate Business College, Fargo, ND; Professor of Pharmacy Law, NDSU. Elected Southeast Judicial District judge in 1994, reelected in 2000, 2006; defeated in Nov. 6, 2012, election.

Richard L. Hagar

District Court Judge

Elected: 2006 - Present

Judge Hagar was elected as District Court Judge in 2006 for the North Central Judicial District judgeship #3 located in Minot, ND.  He was re-elected in 2012, and 2018.  

Born in 1957; Judge Hagar graduated from the United States Air Force Academy located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1979. He received his Juris Doctor from the University of North Dakota School of Law in 1988, and was admitted to the N.D. Bar on April 25, 1989.  He was in private legal practice in Minot, ND until his judgeship in 2006. 

Don Hager

Presiding Judge

Appointed: 2014 - 2001

Judge Hager was appointed as District Court Judge by Governor Jack Dalrymple in 2014 for the Northeast Central Judicial District judgeship #1 located in Grand Forks, ND.  He was then elected in 2018.

Born in 1955;  Judge Hager served in the U.S. Navy from 1974-1980. After his honorable discharge, he attended Mayville State University and received his Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Administration in 1983.  He received his Juris Doctor from the University of North Dakota School of Law in 1986, and was admitted to the N.D. Bar on September 25, 1986. He worked in private legal practice in Larimore, N.D. until his judgeship in 2014.

Harold M. Hager

District Court Judge

Elected: 1965 - 1976

Judge Hager was born in Northgate, North Dakota on June 8, 1914. Educated at St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minnesota; University of North Dakota School of Liberal Arts, B. A. 1935; School of Law, Juris Doctor 1937, he was admitted to the North Dakota Bar that same year. Practiced law in Fargo, 1937-1941, and assisted in the North Dakota State Code revision 1941-1942. After service in the Navy he practiced law in Grand Forks, North Dakota from 1945 until 1964, when he was elected Judge of the First Judicial District. He served in that capacity until 1976. Judge Hager died on January 10, 1998.

Gail Hagerty

Surrogate Judge

Elected: 1987 - 2020

Born in 1953, Bismarck, N.D. J.D. degree, UND School of Law, 1978; B.A. degree, UND, 1975; M.J.S. degree, University of Nevada, Reno, 1994. Presiding Judge, South Central Judicial District, 2004-present. President, State Bar Association of North Dakota, 2012-13. Chair, North Dakota Judicial Conference, 1995-97. Commissioner, National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws. Served as Burleigh County State's Attorney, 1982-86; Burleigh County Judge 1987-94. Elected South Central Judicial District Judge in 1994, 1996, 2002, 2008 and 2014. Served as assistant Burleigh County State's Attorney and Assistant Attorney General. Married: husband, Supreme Court Justice Dale Sandstrom. Three children. Retired as District Judge March 16, 2020.

James M. Hanley

District Court Judge

Appointed: 1915 - 1920

Judge Hanley was born in Winona, Minnesota, on January 6, 1877. He attended high school at Kasson, Minnesota and Carleton College. He was admitted to the Bar at the age of twenty-one, started his law practice in 1902 at Mandan, North Dakota. He was elected to the House of Representative in 1908 and 1911, he also served as Speaker of the House, and as States Attorney of Morton County 1909 and 1910. In 1915 he was appointed Judge of the Twelfth Judicial District, by Governor Louis B. Hanna, he served in that capacity until 1919, when the judicial districts were revised he became Judge of the Sixth Judicial District from 1919 until 1920. Judge Hanley died on January 31, 1947.

Bruce B. Haskell

Surrogate Judge

Elected: 1994 - Present

Born in 1957, Breckenridge, MN. BA degree in anthropology and archaeology from University of ND, 1980. JD degree from University of ND 1983. Law Clerk, United States Department of Justice, Bureau of Prisons, 1981. Law Clerk, South Central Judicial District, 1982. Assistant Attorney General, Securities Commissioner's Office 1983-84. Assistant Morton County States Attorney 1984-87. Assistant Burleigh County State's Attorney 1987-94. Elected District Judge in 1994, reelected 2000, 2006, 2012. Wife Karin, sons Brandt and Brady. Retired as District Judge Dec. 31, 2018.

Larry M. Hatch

District Court Judge

Appointed: 1972 - 1991

Judge Hatch was born in Linton, North Dakota, July 31, 1930. Educated in Linton Public Schools, graduated from the North Dakota State University and the University of North Dakota Law School in 1958. He practiced law at Linton, North Dakota, served as Emmons County State's Attorney from 1959 to 1972. In 1972 Governor William L. Guy appointed him Judge of the Third Judicial District. With the reorganization of the district court system in 1979, he became Judge of the South Central Judicial District. In 1991 he resigned and moved to Fargo, North Dakota, to accept the position of Administrative Law Judge, for the Office of Hearings and Appeals of the Social Security Administration.

Stephanie Hayden

District Court Judge

Appointed: 2023 - Present

Judge Hayden was appointed as District Court Judge by Governor Doug Burgum in 2023 for the East Central Judicial District judgeship #10 located in Fargo, ND.  

Born in 1978; Judge Hayden is a native of West Fargo. She graduated from the University of North Dakota with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology in 2001. She graduated from Minnesota State University Moorhead with a Bachelor of Science degree in Paralegal Studies in 2003. She received her Juris Doctor from the University of North Dakota School of Law in 2008, and was admitted to the N.D. Bar on September 15, 2008.

Judge Hayden was a law clerk for the district court judges in the East Central Judicial District from 2008-2009. She was in private legal practice from 2009-2020. Judge Hayden served as a Judicial Referee and Magistrate for the East Central Judicial District from 2020 until her judgeship in 2023.

Douglas B. Heen

District Court Judge

Appointed: 1959 - 1986

Judge Heen was born in Dunn Center, North Dakota on June 12, 1920. He attended schools in Grand Forks, graduating from Central High School, Grand Forks, North Dakota. He attended Cambridge University Law School, Cambridge, England, and graduated from the University of North Dakota School of Law in 1947. He practiced law in Devils Lake, North Dakota, served as State's Attorney of Ramsey County from 1947 to 1952 and Veterans Service Officer from 1955 until 1959, when he was appointed Judge of the Second Judicial District by Governor John E. Davis. With the reorganization of the district court system in 1979, he became Judge of the Northeast Judicial District, he served in that capacity until his retirement on July 10, 1986. He was Chief Presiding Judge 1980-1986, after his retirement he continued serving as surrogate judge until November 1993. In 1986 Judge Heen received the Distinguished Service Award, the most prestigious award given by the State Bar Association of North Dakota. Judge Heen died at age 80 on February 2, 2001.