Prior to his
election, Tufte
was a district
court judge in the
Southeast Judicial
District. He also
served as assistant
Justice Tufte speaking at his investiture.
judge advocate
and plans officer in the North Dakota Army National Guard and
previously served as legal counsel and senior policy advisor to
Governor Jack Dalrymple. He also worked in private practice, as
well as served as Kidder County State’s Attorney and Sheridan
County State’s Attorney.
Tufte was born in Minot and grew up in Grand Forks and West
Fargo, N.D. He received his juris doctor, magna cum laude, and
graduated the top of his class from Arizona State University
College of Law in 2002.
He says he decided to run for the open seat on the Supreme Court
because of his previous experiences. “I’d been an appellate law clerk
and thought that an appellate court was where I wanted to end up
if the opportunity came along. I enjoyed working in the trial court
in the Southeast Judicial District and was surprised when Justice
Sandstrom announced his retirement and upcoming open seat. I felt
like I was well qualified and would enjoy the work, so I petitioned
to get on the ballot and worked hard in the campaign. It’s a great
honor and privilege for a proud North Dakotan to work in the state
capitol.”
Justice Jon J. Jensen
On Aug. 15, Justice Jon J. Jensen became the newest member of the
North Dakota Supreme Court. Jensen was appointed by Governor
Doug Burgum to fill the seat vacated by Justice Carol Kapsner
following her retirement. His investiture ceremony was held
Sept. 20.
Prior to his appointment, Jensen served as the presiding judge for
the Northeast Central Judicial District. He was appointed to the
trial court bench by Governor Jack Dalrymple in 2013 and elected
to the position in 2016. Just prior to his appointment to the district
court, Jensen and his wife, Linda Bata, operated their own firm
focused on tax litigation, tax planning, and business succession.
Jensen was born in Grand Forks and grew up in North Dakota,
Montana, and Minnesota. He earned his law degree with distinction
from the University of North Dakota School of Law in 1990 and
a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Minnesota State University
Mankato in 1987. He also has served as a special assistant to the
North Dakota Attorney General.
Jensen returns to the Supreme Court just short of three decades
after serving as a law clerk for then Chief Justice Ralph Erickstad.
While much of the procedure and routine of the Court remains
unchanged, he
says there are
many things
that went
unnoticed
during his
time as a law
clerk. “While
serving as a
law clerk, you
Justice Jensen speaking at his investiture.
are focused
on the specific cases and research projects you are assigned. What
I didn’t appreciate as a law clerk is the volume of reading required
by the justices and the administrative assignments that require
additional time commitments. Serving on the trial court bench was
a significant change from private practice, but I have been surprised
that the change from the district court bench to the Supreme Court
bench has been an even bigger challenge.”
INVESTITURE OF
J U D G E M I C H A E L H U R LY
Judge Michael Hurly
receives a gavel from
SBAND President
Darcie Einarson during
his investiture.
the retirement of
Justice Dale V.
Sandstrom.
Judge Hurly takes the
oath of office from
retired Judge Lee
Christofferson.
Justice Jensen is sworn in by Chief Justice VandeWalle.
FALL 2017
11