Judges

Kari Michelle Agotness

Tue, 02 Feb 2021 13:42:17 GMT

Judge Agotness was appointed as District Court Judge by Governor Doug Burgum on February 1, 2021 for the Northeast Judicial District judgeship #5 located in Cavalier, ND.

Born in 1973; Judge Agotness is a native of Park River. She earned her peace officer’s certificate from Lake Region State College in Devils Lake and her undergraduate degrees from the University of North Dakota. She graduated from the University of North Dakota School of Law, and was admitted to the N.D. Bar on October 8, 2007.

Judge Agotness served as Ramsey County Clerk of District Court for nine years. She was appointed Ramsey County State’s Attorney in 2017 and elected to the position in 2018, overseeing criminal prosecutions, juvenile court, child support enforcement and civil actions, among other duties. She previously worked as a domestic violence advocate, a police officer and a special assistant attorney general for regional child support in Jamestown.

She is a fellow of the National Center for State Courts’ Institute for Court Management in Williamsburg, Va., and served as president of the Lake Region Bar Association and as a member of the Human Trafficking Protocol Team for Ramsey County. Judge Agnotness was elected to office in the 2024.

Michael P. Hurly

Tue, 11 Sep 2018 21:19:10 GMT

Judge Hurly was appointed as District Court Judge by Governor Doug Burgum in 2017 for the Northeast Judicial District judgeship #2 located in Rugby, ND.

Born in 1984; Judge Hurly received his Bachelor's degree in philosophy from North Dakota State University in 2000. He received his Juris Doctor from the University of North Dakota School of Law in 2005, and was admitted to the N.D. Bar on October 8, 2007.

Judge Hurly served as a law clerk for the 16th Montana Judicial District from 2005 to 2006. He was in private legal practice in Devils Lake from 2007 until his judgeship in 2017.

Lonnie Olson

Tue, 11 Sep 2018 21:16:16 GMT

Judge Olson was elected as District Court Judge in 2016 for the Northeast Judicial District #1 located in Devils Lake, ND.

Born in 1962; Judge Olson is a native of Devils Lake. He graduated from Devils Lake Central High School in 1980. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of North Dakota in1984. He received his Juris Doctor from the University of North Dakota School of Law in 1987, and was admitted to the N.D. Bar on October 6, 1987.

Judge Olson worked in private legal practice from 1987 to 1989. He served as a Special Assistant States Attorney for the Lake Region Child Support Enforcement Unit in 1990 and was elected as the Ramsey County States Attorney iin 1990 until his judgeship in 2016.

Ashley Samuelson

Fri, 28 Nov 2025 20:16:11 GMT

Judge Samuelson was appointed as District Court Judge by Governor Kelly Armstrong on November 12, 2025, for the Northeast Judicial District Judgeship #4 located in Devils Lake, North Dakota.

Judge Samuelson is a native of the Northeast Judicial District, having been raised in Edmore, North Dakota. She earned her Bachelor of Arts Summa Cum Laude in Honors, with minors in Political Science and History at the University of North Dakota. Judge Samuelson went on to graduate from the University of North Dakota School of Law, earning her Juris Doctor with Distinction. She was admitted to the North Dakota Bar on October 8, 2007.

Following law school, Judge Samuelson clerked for the highly respected North Dakota Supreme Court Chief Justice Gerald VandeWalle. She then joined Robert Vogel Law Office, P.C., as an Associate Attorney in 2008. In 2011, she worked began working as a Special Assistant Attorney General for the North Dakota Department of Human Services Child Support Unit in Devils Lake, North Dakota. During that time, she was licensed and also practiced before the Turtle Mountain Tribal Court. In 2017, Judge Samuelson was hired as a law clerk for the Northeast Judicial District. In 2020, her position was reclassified and she became the first District Court Staff Attorney in the state.

Judge Samuelson has served as past president of the Lake Region Bar Association, past Executive Committee Member of the Women’s Law Section, past chair and member of the Inquiry Committee - Northeast, and a past member of the CLE Commission. She is a Certified Court Manager and is certified in Adult Mental Health First Aid as well as Collaborative Negotiation.