Courthouse Closures March 14th

Updated: 8:49 AM - Due to the severe weather forecast a number of courthouses will be closed. This article will be updated as new closures are announced.

Seminar on Alternative Sentencing in North Dakota set for April 5 at UND

The Rural Practice Association is hosting a combined CLE/CJE at the UND School of Law on Alternative Sentencing in North Dakota. The event will take place on April 5 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

In need of prosecutors: State’s Attorney’s Office struggles to stay staffed

Minot Daily News: "The Ward County State’s Attorney’s Office expects to be operating with only about half of its allotted staff at the end of this March, which highlights a broader recruitment and retention issue affecting prosecution in western North Dakota."

Women's prison inmates voice opinions on two year study

KFYR News: "The Dakota Women's Correctional Center in New England is expected to stay open for at least another two years. This comes after Gov. Doug Burgum announced its potential closure during an address in December."

U.S.: Judicial Conference approves package of workplace conduct reforms

News Release: "The federal Judiciary’s national policy-making body [March 12] approved a package of workplace conduct-related amendments stating the obligations of judges and Judiciary employees to report reliable information likely to constitute misconduct."

Judge Sonna M. Anderson 1958-2019

Retired South Central Judicial District Judge Sonna M. Anderson died March 10. Services will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 16, at First Lutheran Church in Bismarck. Judge Anderson was appointed to the bench in 2003 and served until 2018. A University of Denver College of Law graduate, she was admitted to the N.D. bar in 1985.

Law library adds new titles to print collection

The North Dakota Supreme Court Law Library has recently added titles to its print collection that may be of interest to the bench and bar. These include books on unbundling, evidence, child custody jurisdiction and the Indian Child Welfare Act.

The man behind the bench

The Good Life: "While much of the greater Fargo-Moorhead area was shut down or closing early for the day, the Cass County Courthouse in Fargo was open for business as usual in spite of the record cold snap that had gripped the region that last week of January 2019."

U.S.: Appeals court to hear Native American child welfare case

Winona Daily News: "A federal law that gives preference to Native American families in foster care and adoption proceedings involving Native American children is facing the most significant legal challenge since it was enacted more than 40 years ago."

Job Announcement

A job announcement for a Juvenile Court Officer I with the Juvenile Court in Devils Lake has been posted.