Welte named Chief Judge for U.S. District of North Dakota Tuesday, November 12, 2019

News Release

United States District Judge Peter D. Welte has assumed the role of Chief Judge for the District of North Dakota effective November 11, 2019. The Chief Judge provides the court with strategic leadership, court governance, court-management oversight, and case-management oversight. The Chief Judge represents the District at the Judicial Conference of the United States and the Eighth Circuit Judicial Council. Chief Judge Welte graduated from North Dakota State University in 1989 and from the University of North Dakota School of Law in 1997 (with distinction). Welte was appointed to the federal bench in 2019 by President Donald J. Trump. The position of Chief Judge is a statutory appointment for a period of seven years.