March/April 2003 issue
Judge Ralph R. Erickson Appointed to
District of North Dakota
On March 12, 2003, the Senate confirmed Ralph R. Erickson as a United States District Court Judge for the District of North Dakota.
Judge Erickson was born in Thief River Falls, Minnesota in 1959, and grew up in Rugby, North Dakota. He received his bachelor's degree in 1980 from Jamestown College (North Dakota), where he graduated magna cum laude. He received his law degree from the University of North Dakota School of Law in 1984.
After graduating from law school, he went to work for the firm of Ohnstad, Twichell, P.C. in West Fargo, North Dakota, where he practiced until 1991. In 1992 he established his own law practice, Erickson Law Office. His practice focused primarily on personal injury and administrative law. During this time he also served as a part-time prosecutor for the City of West Fargo.
In 1993 he was appointed as a Magistrate Judge for the Cass County Court of North Dakota. In 1994 he was appointed as a County Judge for Traill, Steele, Nelson and Griggs counties. In 1995 he was elected as a District Court Judge for the East Central Judicial District Court of North Dakota, where he has served until his appointment as a U.S. District Court Judge.
As a judge in North Dakota, he has been active in a variety of court organizations. He has served as chair of the Attorney Standards Committee, the Joint Family Law Task Force, the Juvenile Drug Court Advisory Committee and the Supreme Court Judicial Planning Commission. He presided over the first Juvenile Drug Court in North Dakota. He has also been active in the Judicial Division of the American Bar Association, serving as the Division's representative to the ABA Working Group on the First Amendment and Judicial Campaigns.
Judge Erickson was sworn in on March 14, 2003, and his investiture took place June 6, 2003. Welcome, Judge Erickson!
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