Experience Earned. Judgment You Can Trust.
I am a lawyer with two decades of practical experience in and out of courtrooms across the state, representing real people with real problems. When you’re in the exam room, you want a doctor who knows what it’s like to be a patient. When it’s time to inspect your work, you want an inspector who has actually built something. And when you’re in court, you want a judge who has stood on your side of the bench for someone like you.
Judicial Elections are Unique
In our system of government, judicial elections are not about politics or policy. They are about the public’s trust that judges will apply the law faithfully, respect the roles of the legislative and executive branches, and treat every case with care. In short, we elect legislators and governors to represent our policy wishes for North Dakota while we elect judges to uphold the rule of law.
The Supreme Court is at its best when its justices have complementary experience and backgrounds. Courts do their best work when the justices around the table bring different perspectives. A lawyer who has spent decades representing people in court sees things a career judge may not, and vice versa. This variety makes the Court stronger.
As an attorney, the most important people in my professional life have always been the Clerks of Court, court reporters, courtroom staff, and District Judges whose job every day is to maintain an accurate record and decide cases promptly, fairly, and correctly under the law. The Supreme Court doesn’t just decide cases, it also leads this wonderful team of people dedicated to justice in our state. My mutual respect for the members of this statewide team would transfer well to being a more integral part of it.
Courts benefit from a range of professional perspectives. Judges learn the law through the decisions they make in each case. Lawyers learn the law from practical experience, starting long before the case reaches a courtroom and continuing long after the judge’s decision has been made.
Experience Earned
- Private practice 2007-present
- McKenzie Electric Cooperative general counsel 2022-present
- McKenzie County Assistant State’s Attorney 2011-2013 and 2025-present
- McKenzie County Zoning Attorney 2013-present
- Practiced in courts throughout North Dakota and neighboring states
- Briefed and argued numerous cases before the North Dakota Supreme Court
- Trial and appellate experience in multiple areas of law
- Work with individuals, families, small businesses, and local governments
- Deep experience in energy, business, agriculture, and estate law
My experience and the perspective I have developed as a North Dakotan and as an attorney would be valuable to the Court. When a party brings a legal dispute before me, I will be able to draw on direct, practical experience with that type of dispute.
No amount of experience can substitute for a humble, open mind. Whenever parties, lawyers, or judges have something to say about a case, I will listen and ensure that I understand their position before making my mind up.
Judgment You Can Trust
As a lawyer, my service to my community extends beyond the office. I have earned a reputation for being levelheaded and fair, which has brought additional opportunities to serve both within the legal field and beyond it. Some of the most fulfilling experiences I have had to date have been serving as Chair of the Pattern Jury Instructions Commission for North Dakota, President of the North Dakota Association for Justice, and President of the Church Council for First Lutheran Church of Watford City. Leading those groups has taught me a lot about bringing different opinions together to achieve a shared purpose.
My judicial philosophy is simple: humility first. By the time a legal question arrives at the Supreme Court, it has been through democratic elections, committee debates, the Legislature’s final votes, and the Governor’s signature. By the time an individual case reaches the Supreme Court, it comes with the accumulated experiences of the parties who lived the case, the hard work of the lawyers who presented the case, the testimony of witnesses, and the decisions of a judge and, in many cases, a jury of citizens.
Those experiences are real and all of those people perform their roles with a sincere belief in their viewpoints and in making our state and our nation the best versions of themselves. The judiciary does not exist to second-guess any of that work, but rather to preserve the rule of law throughout the process.
Background and Principles
I am a fourth-generation North Dakotan and second-generation North Dakota attorney. I was born in Watford City, graduated from Watford City High School, and received my undergraduate degree in Computer Science at the University of North Dakota. I worked in that field before going to law school at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. After passing the Virginia bar exam and being admitted on motion to practice in North Dakota, I practiced law in Bismarck from 2007 until 2011 and in Watford City since then.
Some of the principles that I have learned to uphold every day are:
- Everything good begins with humility
- Nothing good comes without hard work
- Anything worth doing is worth doing well
- No man is an island, and teamwork begins with respect among the members and leaders of the team
- Integrity is a lifestyle, not a slogan or a performance. It means doing the right thing even when it is hard or invisible.
Call to Action
I would sincerely appreciate your vote this year. I am not a politician. I have never run in a public election before. This election is something I have thought carefully about and believe in. I hope that North Dakota will believe in me the same way I believe in my beloved home state.
If you would like to help, here’s how:
- Vote! The primary election is on Tuesday, June 9, 2026. The general election is on Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Both elections matter, and every item on the ballot is important. Go to https://vote.nd.gov/ for more information about how and where to vote.
- Read more about my life and my career to understand the perspective I would bring to the Court
- Contact me to learn more about who I am and what I stand for, then tell your friends and colleagues what you think.
- Follow the campaign on Facebook
- Attend an event to get to know me, or invite me to speak at your event
- Put up a yard sign or invite us to put one on your land
- Contribute to my campaign
- If you see me in public, stop me and speak your mind. You deserve to be heard.