Judge Douglas L. Mattson to Retire Friday, February 14, 2025

North Central Judicial District Judge Douglas L. Mattson has announced that he will retire effective June 1, 2025.

In a letter to Governor Kelly Armstrong and Chief Justice Jon Jensen, Judge Mattson said, "To the voters who allowed me to serve, I truly thank you. It has been a humbling honor."

Judge Mattson was first elected District Court Judge in 2002, and subsequently re-elected in 2008, 2014 and 2020.  He is currently the longest serving judge in the North Central Judicial District and the second longest serving judge in the state.

Judge Mattson is a native of Minot, N.D. He served in the North Dakota House of Representatives from 1978-1982. He received his Juris Doctor from the University of North Dakota School of Law in 1985 and was admitted to the N.D. bar on November 18, 1985.   He then worked for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and Senator Mark Andrews in Washington, D.C. from 1985-1986, after which he worked in private legal practice in Minot, ND from 1987-1990. He was the Ward County State's Attorney from 1990 until his judgeship in 2002.