District of North Dakota Eighth Circuit Judgeships Posts: 2 Judges: 2 Vacancies: 0 Judges Chief: Peter Welte Active judges: Daniel Traynor, Peter Welte Senior judges: Patrick Conmy, Daniel Hovland ## Contents * 1 Vacancies * 1.1 Pending nominations * 2 Active judges * 2.1 Article III judges * 2.1.1 Active Article III judges by appointing political party * 2.2 Senior judges * 2.2.1 Senior judges by appointing political party * 2.3 Magistrate judges * 2.4 Former chief judges * 2.5 Former judges * 3 Jurisdiction * 4 Caseloads * 5 History * 5.1 Judicial posts * 6 Federal courthouse * 7 About United States District Courts * 7.1 Appointments by president * 7.2 Judges by district * 7.3 Judicial selection * 7.4 Magistrate judges * 8 External links * 9 See also * 10 Footnotes The United States District Court for the District of North Dakota is one of 94 United States district courts. The court is headquartered in Fargo and has additional locations at Bismarck, Grand Forks, and Minot. The district was created in 1889, when the Dakota Territory was divided into North Dakota and South Dakota. When decisions of the court are appealed, they are appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, based in downtown St. Louis, Missouri, at the Thomas F. Eagleton Federal Courthouse and Building. ## Vacancies[edit] See also: Current federal judicial vacancies There are no current vacancies on the United States District Court for the District of North Dakota, out of the court's two judicial positions. ### Pending nominations[edit] There are no pending nominees for this court. ## Active judges[edit] ### Article III judges[edit] Judge | Appointed By | Assumed Office | Bachelors | Law | | | | Peter Welte Donald Trump (R) | August 5, 2019 - | North Dakota State University, 1989 University of North Dakota, 1997 Daniel Traynor Donald Trump (R) | January 13, 2020 - | University of North Dakota, 1994 University of North Dakota School of Law, 1997 #### Active Article III judges by appointing political party[edit] The list below displays the number of active judges by the party of the appointing president. It does not reflect how a judge may rule on specific cases or their own political preferences. * Democrat appointed: 0 * Republican appointed: 2 ### Senior judges[edit] Judge | Appointed By | Assumed Office | Bachelors | Law | | | | Patrick Conmy Ronald Reagan (R) | January 5, 2000 - | Harvard College, 1955 Georgetown College Law Center, 1959 Daniel Hovland George W. Bush (R) | November 10, 2019 - | Concordia College, 1976 University of North Dakota School of Law, 1979 #### Senior judges by appointing political party[edit] The list below displays the number of senior judges by the party of the appointing president. It does not reflect how a judge may rule on specific cases or their own political preferences. * Democrat appointed: 0 * Republican appointed: 2 ### Magistrate judges[edit] Federal magistrate judges are federal judges who serve in United States district courts, but they are not appointed by the president and they do not serve life terms. Magistrate judges are assigned duties by the district judges in the district in which they serve. They may preside over most phases of federal proceedings, except for criminal felony trials. The specific duties of a magistrate judge vary from district to district, but the responsibilities always include handling matters that would otherwise be on the dockets of the district judges. Full-time magistrate judges serve for renewable terms of eight years. Some federal district courts have part-time magistrate judges, who serve for renewable terms of four years.[1] Judge | Appointed By | Assumed Office | Bachelors | Law | | | | Alice Senechal | | October 2, 2014 - | North Dakota State University, 1977 University of Minnesota Law, 1984 Clare Hochhalter | | February 8, 2019 - | Jamestown College, 1979 University of North Dakota School of Law, 1983 ### Former chief judges[edit] In order to qualify for the office of chief judge in an Article III circuit or district court, or on the United States Court of International Trade, a judge must be in active service and hold seniority over the court's commissioned judges who are 64 years of age or under, have served one year or more, and have not previously served as chief judge.[2] In the event that no judge on the court meets those qualifications, the youngest judge in regular active service aged 65 years or more and who has served as a judge for one year or more shall become chief judge. If no judge meets those qualifications, the judge holding seniority in active service who has not served as chief before shall become the chief judge.[3][4][5] The chief judge serves for a term of seven years until another judge becomes eligible to serve in the position. No judge is permitted to serve as chief judge after reaching the age of 70 years unless no other judge is qualified to serve.[3][4][5] Unlike the chief justice of the United States, a chief judge returns to active service after the expiration of their term and does not create a vacancy on the court by the fact of their promotion.[2][3][4][5] On the United States Court of Federal Claims, the chief judge is selected by the President of the United States. The judge must be less than 70 years of age. A chief may serve until they reach age 70 or until another judge is designated by the president as the new chief judge. If the president selects a new chief judge, the former chief judge may continue active service on the court for the remainder of their appointed term.[6] * Daniel Hovland \- (2016-2019) * Ralph Erickson \- (2009 - 2016) * Daniel Hovland \- (2002 - 2009) * Rodney Webb \- (1993 - 2001) * Patrick Conmy \- (1985 - 1992) * Paul Benson \- (1971 - 1985) * George Register \- (1955 - 1971) * Charles Joseph Vogel \- (1954 - 1954) ### Former judges[edit] For more information on the judges of the District of North Dakota, see former federal judges of the District of North Dakota. ## Jurisdiction[edit] North Dakota counties (click for larger map) The District of North Dakota has original jurisdiction over cases filed within its jurisdiction. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law. The jurisdiction of the District of North Dakota consists of all the counties in the state of North Dakota. The court is headquartered in Fargo and has additional locations at Bismarck, Grand Forks, and Minot. ## Caseloads[edit] This section contains court management statistics dating back to 2010. It was last updated in April 2021. Click [show] below for more information on caseload terms and definitions. Caseload statistics explanation Term | Explanation Cases filed and terminated | The number of civil and criminal lawsuits formally initiated or decided by the court in a calendar year. The chart below reflects the table columns Cases filed and Cases terminated. Average time from filing to disposition | The average amount of time, in months, from a case's date of filing to date of disposition (acquittal, sentencing, dismissal, etc.). The chart below reflects the table columns Median time (Criminal) and Median time (Civil). Starting case load | The number of cases pending from the previous calendar year. Cases filed | The number of civil and criminal lawsuits formally initiated in a calendar year. Cases terminated | The total number of civil and criminal lawsuits decided by the court in a calendar year. Remaining cases | The number of civil and criminal cases pending at the end of a given year. Median time (Criminal) | The average amount of time, in months, from a case's date of filing to the date of disposition. In criminal cases, the date of disposition occurs on the day of sentencing or acquittal/dismissal. Median time (Civil) | The average amount of time, in months, from a case's date of filing to the date of disposition. Three-year civil cases | The number and percent of civil cases that were filed more than three years before the end of the given calendar year. Vacant posts | The number of months during the year an authorized judgeship was vacant. Trial/Post | The number of trials completed divided by the number of authorized judgeships on the court. Trials include evidentiary trials, hearings on temporary restraining orders, and preliminary injunctions. Source: United States Courts, "Explanation of the Judicial Caseload Profiles for United States District Courts," accessed September 25, 2018 United States District Court for the District of North Dakota caseload stats, 2010-2019 Year | Cases Filed | Cases Terminated | Cases Pending | Number of Judgeships | Vacant Judgeship Months | Average Total Filings per Judgeship | Trials Completed per Judgeship | Median time from filing to disposition, criminal | Median time from filing to disposition, civil | Three-year civil cases (#) | Three-year civil cases (%) 2010 | 609 | 584 | 438 | 2 | 0 | 305 | 26 | 6 | 10 | 13 | 7 2011 | 592 | 558 | 398 | 2 | 0 | 297 | 21 | 6 | 8 | 15 | 7 2012 | 819 | 628 | 658 | 2 | 0 | 410 | 18 | 7 | 8 | 20 | 7 2013 | 877 | 725 | 798 | 2 | 0 | 439 | 30 | 8 | 12 | 23 | 7 2014 | 910 | 872 | 824 | 2 | 0 | 455 | 30 | 8 | 12 | 18 | 6 2015 | 869 | 823 | 943 | 2 | 0 | 435 | 39 | 10 | 11 | 88 | 18 2016 | 970 | 839 | 1,026 | 2 | 0 | 485 | 23 | 11 | 11 | 87 | 15 2017 | 823 | 1,002 | 872 | 2 | 3 | 412 | 26 | 13 | 22 | 41 | 11 2018 | 740 | 805 | 804 | 2 | 12 | 370 | 20 | 13 | 13 | 46 | 13 2019 | 773 | 776 | 781 | 2 | 7 | 387 | 16 | 13 | 11 | 58 | 17 Average | 798 | 761 | 754 | 2 | 2 | 400 | 25 | 9 | 12 | 41 | 11 ## History[edit] The District of North Dakota was established by Congress and assigned to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit on April 26, 1890 with one post to cover the entire state. Over time, one additional judicial post was added for a total of 2 current posts.[7] ### Judicial posts[edit] The following table highlights the development of judicial posts for the District of North Dakota:[7] Year | Statute | Total Seats | | April 26, 1890 | 26 Stat. 67 | 1 June 25, 1921 | 42 Stat. 66 | 2(1 temporary) 1928 | Temporary post expired | 1 February 10, 1954 | 68 Stat. 8 | 2 ## Federal courthouse[edit] Four separate courthouses serve the District of North Dakota:[8] * William L. Guy Federal Bldg. in Bismarck * Quentin N. Burdick U.S. Courthouse in Fargo * Bruce M. Van Sickle U.S. Courthouse in Minot * Ronald N. Davies U.S. Courthouse in Grand Forks ## About United States District Courts[edit] The United States district courts are the general trial courts of the United States federal courts. There are 94 such courts. Both civil and criminal cases are filed in the district court, which is a court of both law and equity. There is a United States bankruptcy court and a number of bankruptcy judges associated with each United States district court. Each federal judicial district has at least one courthouse, and most districts have more than one. There is at least one judicial district for each state, and one each for Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. District courts in three insular areas—the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands—exercise the same jurisdiction as U.S. district courts. Despite their name, these courts are technically not District Courts of the United States. Judges on these territorial courts do not enjoy the protections of Article III of the Constitution, and serve terms of 10 years rather than for life. There are 677 U.S. District Court judgeships.[9][10] The number of federal district judge positions is set by the U.S. Congress in Title 28 of the U.S. Code, Section 133, which authorizes a set number of judge positions, or judgeships, making changes and adjustments in these numbers from time to time. In order to relieve the pressure of trying the hundreds of thousands of cases brought before the federal district courts each year, many trials are tried by juries, along with a presiding judge.[11] ### Appointments by president[edit] The chart below shows the number of district court judges confirmed by the U.S. Senate through September 1 of the second year of each president's term in office. At this point in the term, President Clinton had the most district court appointments with 70. ### Judges by district[edit] See also: Judicial vacancies in federal courts The table below displays the number of judges in each district and indicates how many were appointed by presidents from each major political party. It also includes the number of vacancies in a district and how many pending nominations for that district are before the United States Senate. The table can be sorted by clicking the column headers above the line, and you can navigate through the pages by clicking the arrows at the top of the table. It is updated every Monday. ### Judicial selection[edit] The district courts are served by Article III federal judges who are appointed for life during "good behavior." They are usually first recommended by senators (or members of the House, occasionally). The President of the United States makes the appointments, which must then be confirmed by the U.S. Senate in accordance with Article III of the United States Constitution.[10] Step | A Candidacy Proceeds | A Candidacy Halts | | 1\. Recommendation made by Congress Member to the President | President Nominates to Senate Judiciary Committee | President Declines Nomination 2\. Senate Judiciary Committee interviews Candidate | Sends candidate to Senate for confirmation | Returns candidate to President, who may re-nominate to Committee 3\. Senate votes on candidate confirmation | Candidate becomes federal judge | Candidate does not receive judgeship ### Magistrate judges[edit] The district courts are also served by magistrate judges. Congress created the judicial office of federal magistrate in 1968. In 1990, the position title was changed to magistrate judge. The chief judge of each district appoints one or more magistrate judges, who discharge many of the ancillary duties of district judges so judges can handle more trials. There are both full-time and part-time magistrate judge positions, and these positions are assigned to the district courts according to caseload criteria (subject to funding by Congress). A full-time magistrate judge serves a term of eight years; a part-time magistrate judge's term of office is four years.[12] ## External links[edit] * Search Google News for this topic * Official website of the District of North Dakota * Opinions for the District of North Dakota * U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of North Dakota ## See also[edit] * United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit * United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas * United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas * United States District Court for the Northern District of Iowa * United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa * United States District Court for the District of Minnesota * United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri * United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri * United States District Court for the District of Nebraska * United States District Court for the District of South Dakota ## Footnotes[edit] 1. ↑ U.S. District Court - NH, "Magistrate Judges," archived April 14, 2014 2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 United States Courts, "Frequently Asked Questions," accessed January 25, 2022 3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute, "28 U.S. Code § 136 - Chief judges; precedence of district judges," accessed January 25, 2022 4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute, "28 U.S. Code § 258 - Chief judges; precedence of judges," accessed January 25, 2022 5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute, "28 U.S. Code § 45 - Chief judges; precedence of judges," accessed January 25, 2022 6. ↑ Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute, "28 U.S. Code § 171 - Appointment and number of judges; character of court; designation of chief judge," accessed January 25, 2022 7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Federal Judicial Center, "The U.S. District Courts and the Federal Judiciary," accessed April 26, 2021 8. ↑ United States District Court District of North Dakota, "Court Locations," accessed April 28, 2021 9. ↑ US Courts, "Federal Judgeships," accessed May 10, 2021 (archived) 10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 U.S. Courts, "United States District Court Federal Judiciary Frequently Asked Questions," accessed May 10, 2021 (archived) 11. ↑ United States District Courts, "District Courts," accessed May 10, 2021 12. ↑ The 'Lectric Law Library, "Understanding the U.S. federal courts" v • e U.S. Circuit Courts and District Courts First Circuit District of Maine • District of Massachusetts • District of New Hampshire • District of Puerto Rico • District of Rhode Island Second Circuit District of Connecticut • Eastern District of New York • Northern District of New York • Southern District of New York • Western District of New York • District of Vermont Third Circuit District of Delaware • District of New Jersey • Eastern District of Pennsylvania • Middle District of Pennsylvania • Western District of Pennsylvania Fourth Circuit District of Maryland • Eastern District of North Carolina • Middle District of North Carolina • Western District of North Carolina • District of South Carolina • Eastern District of Virginia • Western District of Virginia • Northern District of West Virginia • Southern District of West Virginia Fifth Circuit Eastern District of Louisiana • Middle District of Louisiana • Western District of Louisiana • Northern District of Mississippi • Southern District of Mississippi • Eastern District of Texas • Northern District of Texas • Southern District of Texas • Western District of Texas Sixth Circuit Eastern District of Kentucky • Western District of Kentucky • Eastern District of Michigan • Western District of Michigan • Northern District of Ohio • Southern District of Ohio • Eastern District of Tennessee • Middle District of Tennessee • Western District of Tennessee Seventh Circuit Central District of Illinois • Northern District of Illinois • Southern District of Illinois • Northern District of Indiana • Southern District of Indiana • Eastern District of Wisconsin • Western District of Wisconsin Eighth Circuit Eastern District of Arkansas • Western District of Arkansas • Northern District of Iowa • Southern District of Iowa • District of Minnesota • Eastern District of Missouri • Western District of Missouri • District of Nebraska • District of North Dakota • District of South Dakota Ninth Circuit District of Alaska • District of Arizona • Central District of California • Eastern District of California • Northern District of California • Southern District of California • District of Hawaii • District of Idaho • District of Montana • District of Nevada • District of Oregon • Eastern District of Washington • Western District of Washington Tenth Circuit District of Colorado • District of Kansas • District of New Mexico • Eastern District of Oklahoma • Northern District of Oklahoma • Western District of Oklahoma • District of Utah • District of Wyoming Eleventh Circuit Middle District of Alabama • Northern District of Alabama • Southern District of Alabama • Middle District of Florida • Northern District of Florida • Southern District of Florida • Middle District of Georgia • Northern District of Georgia • Southern District of Georgia v • e State of North Dakota Bismarck (capital) | Elections | What's on my ballot? | Elections in 2022 | How to vote | How to run for office | Ballot measures Government | Who represents me? | U.S. President | U.S. Congress | Federal courts | State executives | State legislature | State and local courts | Counties | Cities | School districts | Public policy v • e Federal judges who have served the United States District Court for the District of North Dakota | Active judges| • Daniel Traynor • Peter Welte Senior judges| Daniel Hovland • Patrick Conmy • Magistrate judges| Alice Senechal • Clare Hochhalter • Former Article III judges| Rodney Webb • Ralph Erickson • Bruce Marion Van Sickle • Paul Benson • Charles Fremont Amidon • Alfred Delavan Thomas • Andrew Miller (North Dakota) • Charles Joseph Vogel • Ronald Norwood Davies • George Register • Former Chief judges| Daniel Hovland • Patrick Conmy • Rodney Webb • Ralph Erickson • Paul Benson • Charles Joseph Vogel • George Register •