Administrative Rule 7 - DESIGNATION OF JUDGESHIPS AND CHAMBERS WITH ASSIGNMENTS
Effective Date: 1/27/2010
Obsolete Date: 1/1/2014
A. Each office of the District Judge is a separate office. Judgeships and chambers within each judicial district are established with assignment of judges and chambers as follows:
1. Northwest Judicial District.
Judgeship No. 1, with chambers at Williston, the Honorable Gerald H. Rustad or successor.
Judgeship No. 2, with chambers at Minot, the Honorable Douglas L. Mattson or successor.
Judgeship No. 3, with chambers at Minot, was abolished effective January 1, 1999, under Section 27-05-02.1, N.D.C.C..
Judgeship No. 4, with chambers at Minot, the Honorable Gary H. Lee or successor.
Judgeship No. 5, with chambers at Williston, the Honorable David W. Nelson or successor.
Judgeship No. 6, with chambers at Minot, transferred to the East Central Judicial District effective December 14, 2001, under Section 27-05-02.1, N.D.C.C.
Judgeship No. 7, with chambers at Stanley, the Honorable Richard L. Hagar or successor, transferred to Minot effective January 1, 2007, under Section 27-05-08, N.D.C.C.
Judgeship No. 8, with chambers at Minot, the Honorable William W. McLees or successor.
Judgeship No. 9, with chambers at Minot, created by the 61st Legislative Assembly, 2009 N.D. Sess. Laws, ch. 261, the Honorable Todd L. Cresap or successor.
2. Northeast Judicial District.
Judgeship No. 1, with chambers at Devils Lake, the Honorable Lee A. Christofferson or successor.
Judgeship No. 2, with chambers at Grafton, was abolished effective January 1, 1995, under Section 270502.1, N.D.C.C.
Judgeship No. 3, with chambers at Bottineau, the Honorable Michael G. Sturdevant or successor.
Judgeship No. 4, with chambers at Devils Lake, the Honorable Donovan Foughty or successor.
Judgeship No. 5, with chambers at CavalierLangdon, the Honorable Laurie A. Fontaine or successor.
Judgeship No. 6, with chambers at Grafton, the Honorable M. Richard Geiger or successor.
Judgeship No. 7, with chambers at Rugby, the Honorable John C. McClintock, Jr. or successor.
3. Northeast Central Judicial District.
Judgeship No. 1, with chambers at Grand Forks, the Honorable Sonja Clapp or successor.
Judgeship No. 2, with chambers at Grand Forks, the Honorable Karen K. Braaten or successor.
Judgeship No. 3, with chambers at Grand Forks, the Honorable Joel D. Medd or successor.
Judgeship No. 4, with chambers at Grand Forks, the Honorable Lawrence E. Jahnke or successor.
Judgeship No. 5, with chambers at Grand Forks, the Honorable Debbie Gordon Kleven or successor.
4. East Central Judicial District.
Judgeship No. 1, with chambers at Fargo, the Honorable Wickham Corwin or successor.
Judgeship No. 2, with chambers at Fargo, the Honorable Douglas R. Herman or successor.
Judgeship No. 3, with chambers at Fargo, the Honorable Steven E. McCullough or successor.
Judgeship No. 4, with chambers at Fargo, the Honorable Steven L. Marquart or successor.
Judgeship No. 5, with chambers at Fargo, the Honorable Frank L. Racek or successor.
Judgeship No. 6, with chambers at Fargo, the Honorable Georgia Dawson or successor.
Judgeship No. 7, with chambers at Hillsboro, the Honorable Wade L. Webb or successor.
Judgeship No. 8, with chambers at Fargo, the Honorable John C. Irby or successor.
5. Southeast Judicial District.
Judgeship No. 1, with chambers at Jamestown, was abolished effective February 3, 1998, under Section 27-05-02.1, N.D.C.C.
Judgeship No. 2, with chambers at Valley City, the Honorable John T. Paulson or successor.
Judgeship No. 3, with chambers at Wahpeton, was abolished effective January 3, 1996, under Section 27-05-02.1, N.D.C.C..
Judgeship No. 4, with chambers at New Rockford, the Honorable James M. Bekken or successor.
Judgeship No. 5, with chambers at Ellendale, the Honorable Daniel D. Narum or successor.
Judgeship No. 6, with chambers at Valley City, the Honorable Mikal Simonson or successor.
Judgeship No. 7, with chambers at Lisbon, was abolished effective January 1, 1995, under Section 270502.1, N.D.C.C.
Judgeship No. 8, with chambers at Wahpeton, the Honorable Richard W. Grosz or successor.
Judgeship No. 9, with chambers at Jamestown, the Honorable John E. Greenwood or successor.
Judgeship No. 10, with chambers at Jamestown, created by the 61st Legislative Assembly, 2009 N.D. Sess. Laws, ch. 261, the Honorable Thomas E. Merrick or successor.
6. South Central Judicial District.
Judgeship No. 1, with chambers at Bismarck, the Honorable David E. Reich or successor.
Judgeship No. 2, with chambers at Bismarck, the Honorable Sonna M. Anderson or successor.
Judgeship No. 3, with chambers at Mandan, was abolished effective March 11, 1998, under Section 27-05-02.1, N.D.C.C..
Judgeship No. 4, with chambers at Bismarck, the Honorable Bruce B. Haskell or successor.
Judgeship No. 5, with chambers at Bismarck, the Honorable Robert O. Wefald or successor.
Judgeship No. 6, with chambers at Bismarck, the Honorable Gail Hagerty or successor.
Judgeship No. 7, with chambers at Mandan, the Honorable Thomas J. Schneider or successor.
Judgeship No. 8, with chambers at Linton, the Honorable Donald L. Jorgensen or successor.
Judgeship No. 9, with chambers at Washburn, the Honorable Bruce A. Romanick or successor.
7. Southwest Judicial District.
Judgeship No. 1, with chambers at Dickinson, the Honorable Zane Anderson or successor.
Judgeship No. 2, with chambers at Hettinger, transferred to the South Central Judicial District, effective May 1, 1995, under Section 27-05-02.1, N.D.C.C.
Judgeship No. 3, with chambers at Dickinson, the Honorable Harlan Patrick Weir or successor.
Judgeship No. 4, with chambers at Dickinson, the Honorable William A. Herauf or successor.
Judgeship No. 5, with chambers at Bowman, was abolished effective December 31, 2000, under Section 27-05-02.1, N.D.C.C.
B. It is the intent of the Supreme Court that the residents of the various counties within a judicial district receive judicial services as provided by law in their own county.
Dated at Bismarck, North Dakota, January 27, 2010.
SOURCE: AR 71979 effective July 1, 1979; AR 71980 effective May 16, 1980; AR 71981 effective July 1, 1981; AR 71981 effective Sept. 3, 1981; AR 7 amended Nov. 8, 1985; Sec. 270508(2) N.D.C.C..; S.L.1979, Ch. 76, Sec. 4; S.L.1981, Ch. 36, Sec. 3; AR 71987 amended Nov. 12, 1987; AR 71989 amended Feb. 20, 1989; AR 7 amended January 31, 1990; Sec. 270500.1(3), N.D.C.C.; S.L.1991, Ch. 326, Sec. 1(3); AR 7 amended October 6, 1993; amended November 16, 1994, effective January 1, 1995; amended effective March 16, 1995 and May 1, 1995; amended effective January 10, 1996; amended April 1, 1998; amended effective January 1, 2001; amended effective December 14, 2001: amended effective July 2, 2003; amended effective January 1, 2007; amended effective January 27, 2010.
Northwest Judicial District
Effective January 1, 2014, the Northwest Judicial District was divided into a Northwest Judicial District and a North Central Judicial District. Judgeship Nos. 2, 4, 7, 8 and 9, with chambers at Minot, in the former Northwest Judicial District were transferred to the new North Central Judicial District. Judgeship Nos. 1, 5, 10 and 11, with chambers at Williston and Watford City, in the former Northwest Judicial District were redesignated Judgeship Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 4 in the new Northwest Judicial District to accurately reflect the number of current judgeships in the district.
Under N.D.C.C. § 27-05-02.1, Judgeship No. 3, with chambers at Minot in the former Northwest Judicial, was abolished effective January 1, 1999; Judgeship No. 6, with chambers at Minot in the former Northwest Judicial District, was transferred to the East Central Judicial District effective December 14, 2001; Judgeship No. 7, with chambers at Stanley in the former Northwest Judicial District, was transferred to Minot effective January 1, 2007; Judgeship No. 9, with chambers at Minot in the former Northwest Judicial District, was created by the 61st Legislative Assembly, 2009 N.D. Sess. Laws, Ch. 261; and Judgeship Nos. 10 and and 11 with chambers at Williston and Watford City, were created by the 63rd Legislative Assembly, 2013 N.D. Sess. Law, Ch. 33.
Judgeship No. 5, with chambers in Watford City, and Judgeship No. 6, with chambers in Williston, were created by the 64th Legislative Assembly, 2015 N.D. Sess. Law, Ch. 2.
North Central Judicial District
Effective January 1, 2014, the Northwest Judicial District was divided into a Northwest Judicial District and a North Central Judicial District. Judgeship Nos. 2, 4, 7, 8 and 9, with chambers at Minot, in the former Northwest Judicial District were transferred to the new North Central Judicial District and redesignated Judgeship Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.
Northeast Judicial District
Effective January 1, 2014, Judgeship No. 7 is redesignated Judgeship No. 2, with chambers at Rugby, in the Northeast Judicial District, to accurately reflect the number of current judgeships in the district.
Under N.D.C.C. § 27-05-02.1, Judgeship No. 2, with chambers at Grafton, was abolished effective January 1, 1995.
Northeast Central Judicial District
Judgeship No. 6, with chambers at Grand Forks, was created by the 68th Legislative Assembly, 2023 N.D. Sess. Laws, Ch. 1.
East Central Judicial District
Judgeship No. 9, with chambers at Fargo, was created by the 63rd Legislative Assembly, 2013 N.D. Sess. Laws, Ch. 33.
Judgeship Nos. 10 and 11, with chambers at Fargo, were created by the 68th Legislative Assembly, 2023 N.D. Sess. Laws, Ch. 1.
Southeast Judicial District
Effective January 1, 2014, Judgeship Nos. 8, 9 and 10 were redesignated as Judgeship Nos. 3, 1 and 7 to accurately reflect the number of current judgeships in the district.
Under N.D.C.C. § 27-05-02.1, Judgeship No. 7, with chambers at Lisbon, was abolished effective January 1, 1995; Judgeship No. 3, with chambers at Wahpeton was abolished effective January 3, 1996; and Judgeship No. 1, with chambers at Jamestown, was abolished effective February 3, 1998. Judgeship No. 10, with chambers at Jamestown, was created by the 61st Legislative Assembly, 2009, N.D. Sess. Laws, Ch. 261.
South Central Judicial District
Effective January 1, 2014, Judgeship No. 9, with chambers at Washburn is redesignated Judgeship No. 3 to accurately reflect the current number of judgeships in the district.
Under N.D.C.C. § 27-05-02.1, Judgeship No. 3, with chambers at Mandan, was abolished effective March 11, 1998.
Judgeship No. 9, with chambers at Mandan, was created by the 64th Legislative Assembly, 2015 N.D. Sess. Law, Ch. 2.
Judgeship No. 10, with chambers at Mandan, was created by the 66th Legislative Assembly, 2019 N.D. Sess. Law, Ch. 2.
Southwest Judicial District
Effective January 1, 2014, Judgeship No. 4, with chambers at Dickinson is redesignated Judgeship No. 2 to accurately reflect the current number of judgeships in the district.
Under N.D.C.C. § 27-05-02.1, Judgeship No. 2, with chambers at Hettinger, was transferred to the South Central Judicial District effective May 1, 1995; and Judgeship No. 5, with chambers at Bowman, was abolished effective December 31, 2000.
Judgeship No. 4, with chambers at Dickinson, was created by the 64th Legislative Assembly, 2015 N.D. Sess. Law, Ch. 2.
SOURCE: AR 7-1979 effective July 1, 1979; AR 7-1980 effective May 16, 1980; AR 7-1981 effective July 1, 1981; AR 7-1981 effective Sept. 3, 1981; AR 7 amended Nov. 8, 1985; N.D.C.C. § 27-05-08(2); S.L.1979, Ch. 76, § 4; S.L.1981, Ch. 36, § 3; AR 7-1987 amended Nov. 12, 1987; AR 7-1989 amended Feb. 20, 1989; AR 7 amended January 31, 1990; N.D.C.C. § 27-05-00.1(3); S.L.1991, Ch. 326, § 1(3); AR 7 amended effective January 1, 1995; March 16, 1995 and May 1, 1995; January 10, 1996; April 1, 1998; January 1, 2001; December 14, 2001; July 2, 2003; January 1, 2007; January 27, 2010; January 1, 2014; January 13, 2016; administratively amended October 24, 2017; amended effective February 1, 2018; August 7, 2019; August 11, 2021; November 16, 2023.
| Effective Date | Obsolete Date | |
|---|---|---|
| 11/16/2023 | View | |
| 08/11/2021 | 11/16/2023 | View |
| 08/07/2019 | 08/11/2021 | View |
| 02/01/2018 | 08/06/2019 | View |
| 10/24/2017 | 02/01/2018 | View |
| 01/13/2016 | 10/24/2017 | View |
| 01/01/2014 | 01/13/2016 | View |
| 01/27/2010 | 01/01/2014 | View |
| 01/01/2007 | 01/27/2010 | View |
| 07/02/2003 | 01/01/2007 | View |
| 01/01/2001 | 12/14/2001 | View |
| 01/01/2001 | 07/02/2003 | View |
| 04/01/1998 | 01/01/2001 | View |
| 01/10/1996 | 04/01/1998 | View |