Judges

Daniel S. El-Dweek

Tue, 11 Sep 2018 21:04:22 GMT

Judge El-Dweek was appointed as a District Court Judge for the Northwest Judicial District, Judgeship No. 5, located in Watford City, North Dakota, by Governor Jack Dalrymple in 2015. He was subsequently elected to the position in 2018.

Born in 1981, Judge El-Dweek earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Public Administration from the University of North Dakota in 2003. He continued his studies at the University of North Dakota School of Law, receiving his Juris Doctor in 2006, and was admitted to the North Dakota Bar on December 2, 2013.

Prior to his judicial appointment, Judge El-Dweek served as Managing Attorney for Dakota Plains Legal Services from 2006 to 2010, and as a Staff Attorney for the Regional Native Public Defense Corporation from 2010 to 2013. He then became the Supervising Attorney for the Williston Public Defender’s Office, where he served from 2013 until his judicial appointment in 2015.

Benjamen J. Johnson

Tue, 11 Sep 2018 21:20:24 GMT

Judge Benjamen Johnson was appointed as a District Court Judge for the Northwest Judicial District, Judgeship No. 2, located in Williston, North Dakota, by Governor Doug Burgum in 2017.

Born in 1982, Judge Johnson is a native of Williston. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Mary in Bismarck in 2004, and received his Juris Doctor from the University of North Dakota School of Law in 2008. He was admitted to the North Dakota Bar on September 15, 2008.

Prior to his judicial appointment, Judge Johnson served as the Public Defender for the Northwest Judicial District from 2012 to 2017. He also served as City Attorney for the cities of Tioga, Ross, Wildrose, Flaxton, Portal, and Bowbells, North Dakota. In addition, he was the State’s Attorney for Burke County and served as a prosecutor for the Three Affiliated Tribes.

Before his appointment to the bench, Judge Johnson maintained a private legal practice in Tioga, North Dakota.

Chas Neff, Jr.

Fri, 23 Jun 2023 20:04:03 GMT

Judge Neff was appointed as a District Court Judge by Governor Doug Burgum in 2022 for the Northwest Judicial District No. 3, located in Williston, North Dakota.

Born in Brainerd, Minnesota, in 1980, Judge Neff graduated from Shanley High School and Cardinal Muench Seminary in 1999. He began his undergraduate studies at Mount St. Mary’s College and completed his Bachelor of Science degree in Mass Communications at North Dakota State University in 2003. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of St. Thomas School of Law in Minnesota and was admitted to the North Dakota Bar on September 15, 2008.

Judge Neff’s professional experience includes serving as an Expert Intern for the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations. He worked as a Reference Attorney and Consultant at Thomson Reuters from 2007 to 2014. From 2014 to 2017, he served as an Assistant State’s Attorney in McKenzie County, later becoming the McKenzie County State’s Attorney from 2017 to 2018. Before his judicial appointment, Judge Neff served as a Law Clerk and Staff Attorney for the Northwest Judicial District from 2019 until his judgeship in 2023.

Joshua B. Rustad

Tue, 11 Sep 2018 16:14:11 GMT

Judge Rustad was elected District Court Judge for the Northwest Judicial District, No. 1, located in Williston, North Dakota, in 2010, and was re-elected in 2016.

Born in 1972, Judge Rustad is a lifelong resident of Williston. He graduated from Williston High School in 1991 and earned his Juris Doctor from the University of North Dakota School of Law in 1999. He was admitted to the North Dakota Bar on September 24, 1999.

Prior to his election to the bench, Judge Rustad practiced law privately in Williston from 1999 to 2006. He then served as supervising attorney with the North Dakota Commission on Legal Counsel for Indigents, Williston Office, from 2006 until his election to the judiciary in 2010.

Kirsten M. Sjue

Tue, 11 Sep 2018 21:08:22 GMT

Judge Sjue was appointed as a District Court Judge by Governor Jack Dalrymple in 2015 for Judgeship No. 6 of the Northwest Judicial District, located in Williston, North Dakota. She was subsequently elected to the position in 2018.

Born in 1981, Judge Sjue graduated from Williston High School in 1999. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of North Dakota in 2003 and her Juris Doctor from the University of North Dakota School of Law in 2006. She was admitted to the North Dakota State Bar on September 25, 2006.

Judge Sjue began her legal career as a law clerk at the North Dakota Supreme Court from 2006 to 2007. She then served as a law clerk to U.S. District Judge Ralph Erickson from 2007 to 2009. From 2009 to 2013, she practiced law privately in Williston, North Dakota. She went on to serve as an Assistant State’s Attorney for Williams County from 2013 until her appointment to the bench in 2015.