Grand Forks attorney James Hovey has been chosen to fill a vacant North Dakota district judge's seat in the town of New Rockford, Gov. John Hoeven announced Wednesday.
"James brings a wealth of legal experience to this judgeship, both as a litigator and mediator, and will do an outstanding job for the citizens of the Southeast Judicial District," Hoeven said in a news release.
The governor picked Hovey to replace Judge James Bekken, who died earlier this year.
Hovey, 46, said he and his wife are very excited about moving to New Rockford, the town in Eddy County where he grew up. He graduated from high school there and went to UND for his undergraduate and law degrees.
"When I went to law school, being a judge was the furthest thing from my mind. It's something that's developed over the years, an interest in sitting on the bench," he said.
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Since 1996, Hovey has practiced law with the office of Pearson, Christensen & Clapp in Grand Forks, where he's handled criminal and civil cases.
"It's going to be certainly a different type of work to move from advocating for one person to being the decision maker," he said. "There's a lot of judges I can rely on and will be relying on if I come across issues that I'm unfamiliar with."
Hovey's approach to his new job is straightforward.
"My judicial philosophy, I guess, would have to be: First, you apply the law. Whether you like the law or not, you apply the law," he said.
Hovey has served as city attorney for Larimore, N.D., and as an instructor at the UND Center for Legal Studies. He's also a former president of the Greater Grand Forks County Bar Association.
As a judge in the Southeast Judicial District, Hovey will hear cases in Barnes, Dickey, Eddy, Foster, Griggs, LaMoure, Ransom, Richland, Sargent, Stutsman and Wells counties.
He'll hold the position for at least two years and then will face voters in the subsequent general election.
Ingersoll reports on crime and courts. Reach him at (701) 780-1269; (800) 477-6572, ext. 269; or send e-mail to aingersoll@gfherald.com .
