Sonna Marie Anderson

Born in 1958; Judge Anderson graduated from Century High School, Bismarck, ND in 1976. She earned her undergraduate education in Trondheim, Norway, 1978; and received a Bachelor's Degree from the University of North Dakota in 1981.  Judge Anderson majored in Business Administration with minors in Norwegian and Spanish. She graduated from the University of Denver College of Law, with a juris doctor in 1985 and was admitted to N.D. Bar in 1985.  Judge Anderson clerked for Mountain States Legal Foundation during law school, and also clerked for Judge Patrick Conmy from 1985-1987.

Judge Anderson worked in private practice in Bismarck, ND from 1987-2004. She was appointed in December 2003 by Governor John Hoeven to succeed Judge Benny Graff as district judge. Her judicial term began on Feb. 1, 2004. She was then elected district judge in 2006, 2010, 2016. Judge Anderson retired effective June 20, 2018. She died on March 10, 2019.