North Dakota Supreme Court

ND high court orders term limits measure for November ballot

By JAMES MacPHERSONSeptember 7, 2022 GMT

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The North Dakota Supreme Court unanimously ruled Wednesday that a measure should be placed on the November ballot asking whether voters want term limits on the governor and state legislators.

Beryl Levine, first female ND Supreme Court justice, dies

By JAMES MacPHERSONJune 6, 2022 GMT

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Former Justice Beryl Levine, the first woman appointed to the North Dakota Supreme Court, has died. She was 86.

Levine died Saturday at her home in San Mateo, California, with her family by her side, son David Levine said Monday.

Retrial in homicide case ends abruptly with plea change

May 13, 2022 GMT

MINOT, N.D. (AP) — A man being retried in the fatal stabbing of a Minot woman in 2017 has abruptly changed his plea to guilty.

Bradley Morales said he had a change of heart after watching police body camera video of the night Sharmaine Leake was stabbed in the throat during a dispute.

North Dakota Supreme Court: DAPL documents are public

April 29, 2022 GMT

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The North Dakota Supreme Court has ruled that thousands of documents related to security during the construction of the heavily protested Dakota Access Pipeline are public and subject to the state’s open records law.

Supreme Court rejects Bismarck officer’s defamation claim

February 28, 2022 GMT

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The North Dakota Supreme Court has ruled a former Bismarck police sergeant didn't make a valid claim for defamation by Burleigh County's top prosecutor.

North Dakota Supreme Court overturns child abuse conviction

February 16, 2022 GMT

MINOT, N.D. (AP) — The North Dakota Supreme Court has ruled that a Minot man should not have been convicted of child abuse for allegedly assaulting a woman in front of a young girl.

Brent Castleman, 54, was found guilty last year of a Class B felony after the jury heard a recording of the alleged assault and the girl crying after witnessing the alleged attack.

ND Supreme Court rejects manslaughter, arson appeal

January 25, 2022 GMT

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The North Dakota Supreme Court has turned down an appeal by a Mandan man who claims undisclosed DNA evidence would clear him of manslaughter.

Rodney Friesz, 56, was convicted of manslaughter and arson in 2016, but acquitted of murder in the death of Eugene Jassmann.

Supreme Court denies appeal of kidnapping, slaying convict

January 5, 2022 GMT

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The North Dakota Supreme Court has denied the appeal of a man serving life in prison for kidnapping and killing another man in Burleigh County in 2012.

John Clark Bridges argued in his appeal that mental illness prevented him from understanding the charges against him, aiding in his defense or filing a timely application for relief.

Supreme Court rejects petition to alter parole eligibility

November 19, 2021 GMT

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The North Dakota Supreme Court has rejected a petition by a Bismarck man convicted of killing his wife to alter the parole eligibility dates of his life sentence.

Russell Craig, 58, was sentenced to life after pleading guilty in the fatal stabbing of Pamela Craig-Johnson in 2006.

New trial granted for Lyft driver convicted of raping rider

September 19, 2021 GMT

MANDAN, N.D. (AP) — A judge has granted a new trial to Mandan Lyft driver whose 2019 conviction for raping a customer was upheld by the North Dakota Supreme Court.

South Central District Judge Bobbi Weiler wrote in an order earlier this week that Corey Wickham’s constitutional rights were violated when his defense attorney failed to object to police testimony she said impacted the jury’s decision.

Supreme Court allows DUI guilty plea to be withdrawn

August 25, 2021 GMT

MINOT, N.D. (AP) — The North Dakota Supreme Court will allow a man accused of drunken driving to withdraw his guilty plea to the charge.

The court recently reversed a North Central District Court judge's refusal to suppress some evidence in the DUI case against defendant Michael Anthony Boger.

Man who sold Trump wares on public grounds gets jury trial

July 31, 2021 GMT

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The North Dakota Supreme Court has ruled that a Wisconsin Trump supporter found guilty of an infraction for using public grounds in Bismarck for commercial purposes without a permit is entitled to a jury trial.

High court upholds Minot man’s murder sentence

July 16, 2021 GMT

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The North Dakota Supreme Court has upheld the murder sentence of a Minot man convicted in a fatal shooting outside a Williston motel in 2017.

Alex Eggleston was convicted and sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole in 30 years for the murder of Vance Neset, which took place in the Super 8 motel parking lot.

State high court: Burgum had authority to close businesses

May 21, 2021 GMT

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The North Dakota Supreme Court has ruled that Gov. Doug Burgum had the authority to close businesses during the coronavirus pandemic.

Somerset Court LLC and salon operator Kari Riggin in April sued Burgum and then-State Health Officer Mylynn Tufte in an effort to allow the assisted living facility’s in-house hair salon to continue providing services to residents.

Supreme Court upholds sentence for man convicted as juvenile

November 17, 2017 GMT

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The North Dakota Supreme Court has rejected an appeal for a man serving life without parole for killing a West Fargo woman when he was 16 years old...

ND chief justice, 80, running for 10-year term

By JAMES MacPHERSONAugust 2, 2014 GMT

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — As a youngster and when refrigeration was rare, Gerald VandeWalle hurried door-to-door delivering fresh milk from his family's dairy farm in a tiny town in the state's northwest corner.