Welcome program for new UND law dean set for Friday

The UND School of Law will welcome new dean Michael S. McGinniss, recognize the Law Class of 2022, and thank alumni and friends who have generously supported the law school at a program and reception on Friday, Aug. 23.

North Dakota inmates train future service dogs

My ND Now: "Inmates from the Missouri River Correctional Center are putting their time and talent to good use. MRCC resident David Gunderson says, 'It’s nice to give back. You know, working with the dogs, seeing them grow, helps me grow.'"

N.D. Attorney General opinion: Aug. 14

Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem has issued an opinion that the Fargo Park District violated the law because the meeting notice for a special meeting of its Board of Commissioners did not sufficiently describe the specific topic the commission clearly knew it would be discussing.

Who owns the bones? A conversation about dinosaurs in North Dakota

KFGO News: "The national news has been covering the story of Harrison Duran, a college student who uncovered a 65 million year old Triceratops skull in western North Dakota."

What is ‘Good Time’? Is it Good for North Dakota?

KX News: "Simply put, good time is granted to inmates who follow the rules. Burleigh County State’s Attorney Julie Lawyer explains, 'There’s time that’s taken off the sentence they have to serve so that they actually serve less time than what they’re given in court.'"

Inaugural Justice Sandstrom Lecture set for Sunday

The inaugural Justice Dale V. Sandstrom Lecture will take place at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 11, 2019, in the Russell Reid Auditorium of the North Dakota Heritage Center. The lecture is on Judge Charles F. Amidon's role in enforcing the Espionage Act of 1917 in North Dakota. The lecture has been approved for 1.0 ND Ethics credit or 1.0 ND CLE credit.

‘Not enough’: How will North Dakota balance budgets and criminal justice?

G.F. Herald: "Every year, Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem’s office releases a report on crime data from around the state. Running dozens of pages, it’s a mountain of information, with spreadsheets of murders, kidnappings and arsons, indexed to population, cross-tabulated against drug use — often described in granular detail, jurisdiction by jurisdiction."

N.D. Federalist Society to hold Supreme Court Round-Up Aug. 20-21

The North Dakota Lawyers Chapter of the Federalist Society will be holding Supreme Court Round-Up seminars in Bismarck and Fargo on Aug. 20-21. CLE credit has been applied for.

Ready for change: Is North Dakota’s criminal safety net too thin?

G.F. Herald: "The first thing Adam Martin ever stole was a bouncing balloon from a drug store in Breckenridge, Minn. He says he doesn’t know why he did it. He just did."

Too big too fast: North Dakota’s other housing problem

G.F. Herald: "Pat Bohn has spent a long time working in corrections — long enough to climb from a rank-and-file parole and probation officer in the 1990s to a job heading North Dakota’s entire parole and probation operation today. He’s seen a lot of things change."

Then and now: The political sea changes that built North Dakota’s prisons

G.F. Herald: "In early 1995, North Dakota parole officer David Birrenkott told state leaders about a very, very busy criminal. This man had been on a decades-long crime spree across at least three states — and to hear Birrenkott tell it, there was no sign he was slowing down."

James Sayler to be new North Dakota State Penitentiary warden

KFYR News: "The North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation says James Sayler has accepted the position as the new warden for the North Dakota State Penitentiary."

Calculated risks: How corrections officials manage North Dakota’s criminals

West Fargo Pioneer: "The Parole Board’s January meeting is in a second-floor conference room with fresh carpet and dark wood in the North Dakota State Penitentiary — up the stairs and down a side hallway from double metal doors and tight security."

Criminal charges are no longer an option for kids under ten

Valley News Live: "'I have a teaching degree - and then I went to law school,' says Karen Kringlie, the Director of Juvenile Court for the East central and Southeast Judicial Districts. 'And so it was kind of a natural fit.' Kringlie says when it comes to young children – they’re better off getting connected with community services instead of court dates."

More legal resources needed for North Dakotans' disputes

Public News Service: "One section of the North Dakota court system website that gets a lot of visitors is the Legal Self Help Center, but North Dakotans who choose to represent themselves in civil matters may need more resources than the state and nonprofit organizations can offer."

Job Announcement

A job announcement for an Attorney II (Public Defender) with the Commission on Legal Counsel for Indigents in Minot has been posted.

A look at new laws taking effect Thursday in North Dakota

Wahpeton Daily News: "North Dakota lawmakers approved hundreds of bills during their biennial legislative session earlier this year, but many of the policy changes have yet to be implemented. That will change Thursday, Aug. 1, when an array of bills will take effect."

Big Muddy Bar Association hosts The Banquet

The Big Muddy Bar Association hosted The Banquet on July 25 at Trinity Lutheran Church. Volunteers served about 400 meals of pulled pork sandwiches, coleslaw, watermelon and ice cream bars.

Jack D. Paul 1927-2019

UND School of Law graduate Jack D. Paul, 92, died July 22. He worked at the North Dakota State Penitentiary as a counselor and Director of Programs. His funeral is at 11 a.m. on Monday, July 29, at DaWise Perry Funeral Services in Mandan.

Women’s prison still at capacity

KX News: "Dakota Women’s Correction, the state’s women’s prison in New England, is at capacity. So what does this means for county jails that have to pick up inmates, now being turned away?"

UND to hold reception to welcome new law dean McGinniss

The University of North Dakota School of Law will hold a welcome program and reception with new Dean Michael McGinniss on August 23.

Flags at half-staff Tuesday to honor late Supreme Court justice

Bismarck Tribune: "Gov. Doug Burgum has directed all government agencies to fly the U.S. and North Dakota flags at half-staff on Tuesday to honor retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens."

Job Announcement

A job announcement for a Contract Attorney with the Commission on Legal Counsel for Indigents in the Northeast Central Judicial District has been posted.