Judges appointed by Jack Dalrymple
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This page lists judges appointed by Jack Dalrymple (R) during their term as Governor of North Dakota. As of today, the total number of Dalrymple appointees was 17. For the full profile of Dalrymple, click here.
Ballotpedia provides comprehensive coverage of the 100 largest cities in America by population. Some North Dakota judges are outside of that coverage scope. As a result, this page does not provide an exhaustive list of all judges appointed by Gov. Dalrymple.
Appointment process
If a midterm vacancy occurs on the supreme or district courts in North Dakota, the governor appoints a replacement from the recommendations of a nominating commission. Following appointment, judges must run for election if they wish to remain on the court.[1]
Appointed judges
The tables below list the governor's appointees to the courts across the state.
State Courts
Supreme Court
| Name | Court | Active |
|---|---|---|
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North Dakota Supreme Court |
January 1, 2014 - Present |
Local Courts
| Name | Court | Active |
|---|---|---|
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North Dakota East Central Judicial District |
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North Dakota East Central Judicial District |
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North Dakota North Central Judicial District |
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North Dakota Northeast Central Judicial District |
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North Dakota Northeast Central Judicial District |
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North Dakota Northeast Central Judicial District |
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North Dakota Northeast Central Judicial District |
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North Dakota Northeast Judicial District |
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North Dakota Northwest Judicial District |
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North Dakota Northwest Judicial District |
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North Dakota Northwest Judicial District |
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North Dakota Northwest Judicial District |
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North Dakota South Central Judicial District |
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North Dakota South Central Judicial District |
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North Dakota Southwest Judicial District |
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North Dakota Southwest Judicial District |
Judicial selection process
- See also: Judicial selection in North Dakota
| Judicial selection in North Dakota | |
 | |
| North Dakota Supreme Court | |
| Method: | Nonpartisan election |
| Term: | 10 years |
| North Dakota Court of Appeals | |
| Method: | Court appointment |
| Term: | Up to 1 year |
| North Dakota District Courts | |
| Method: | Nonpartisan election |
| Term: | 6 years |
Judicial selection refers to the process used to select judges for courts. At the state level, methods of judicial selection vary substantially in the United States, and in some cases between different court types within a state. There are six primary types of judicial selection: partisan and nonpartisan elections, the Michigan method, assisted appointment, gubernatorial appointment, and legislative elections. To read more about how these selection methods are used across the country, click here.
This article covers how state court judges are selected in North Dakota, including:
- North Dakota Supreme Court,
- North Dakota Court of Appeals,
- North Dakota District Courts, and
- Limited jurisdiction courts
As of April 2025, judges for all courts in the state of North Dakota, except the North Dakota Court of Appeals, were selected through nonpartisan elections.[2] The court of appeals had no permanent judges; the judges were named to the court by the supreme court. Judges' terms began on January 1 following their election.[3]
Click here to notify us of changes to judicial selection methods in this state.
| Appellate state court selection in the United States, by general selection method[4] |
|---|
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| State courts and their selection methods across the U.S., including the District of Columbia[4] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Method | Supreme Court (of 53)[5] | Courts of Appeal (of 46) | Trial Courts (of 147) |
| Partisan elections (PE) | 8 | 6 | 39 |
| Nonpartisan elections (NPE) | 13 | 16 | 34 |
| Legislative elections (LE) | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| Gubernatorial appointment of judges (GA) | 5 | 3 | 6 |
| Assisted appointment (AA) | 22 | 18 | 46 |
| Combination or other | 3[6] | 1[7] | 17[8] |
State profile
| Demographic data for North Dakota | ||
|---|---|---|
| North Dakota | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 756,835 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 69,001 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 88.7% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 1.6% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 1.2% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 5.3% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 2.2% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 2.9% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 91.7% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 27.7% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $57,181 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 12.2% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in North Dakota. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
North Dakota voted Republican in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
Pivot Counties (2016)
Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, four are located in North Dakota, accounting for 1.94 percent of the total pivot counties.[9]
Pivot Counties (2020)
In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. North Dakota had three Retained Pivot Counties, 1.66 percent of all Retained Pivot Counties.
More North Dakota coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in North Dakota
- United States congressional delegations from North Dakota
- Public policy in North Dakota
- Endorsers in North Dakota
- North Dakota fact checks
- More...
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: North Dakota," archived October 3, 2014
- ↑ National Center for State Courts, "Methods of Judicial Selection: North Dakota," accessed August 16, 2021
- ↑ North Dakota Secretary of State, "Qualifications and Terms of Office for all Elected Positions in North Dakota," accessed August 16, 2021
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection," archived February 2, 2015
- ↑ Both Oklahoma and Texas have two state supreme courts: one for civil matters and one for criminal matters.
- ↑ Michigan and Ohio use nonpartisan general elections with candidates selected through partisan primaries or conventions. In the District of Columbia, judges are selected in the same manner as federal judges.
- ↑ Judges of the North Dakota Court of Appeals are appointed on an as-needed basis by the supreme court justices.
- ↑ Most courts that use combination/alternative methods (for example, mayoral appointment) are local level courts. These courts are often governed by selection guidelines that are unique to their specific region.
- ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
Federal courts:
Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: District of North Dakota • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: District of North Dakota
State courts:
North Dakota Supreme Court • North Dakota Court of Appeals • North Dakota District Courts • North Dakota Municipal Courts
State resources:
Courts in North Dakota • North Dakota judicial elections • Judicial selection in North Dakota
