North Dakota Supreme Court chief justice not seeking another term in top post

BISMARCK, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) — North Dakota Supreme Court Chief Justice Jon Jensen has announced he will step down as head of the court when his term ends this year.

Jensen will continue serving as a justice.

“The position of Chief Justice, for me, has not been about a title, it has been about service and making our judicial system as great as it can be,” Jensen told the North Dakota court system in a Wednesday letter. “It has been an honor to serve.”

Jensen was elected chief justice in December 2019 and reelected to another five-year term in 2020.

In his letter, Jensen highlighted accomplishments but did not cite a reason for not seeking another term. He said one of his priorities as chief justice was growing resources for state district courts.

Jensen noted that the court system has added three new judges and 29 full-time employees under his tenure. District court judge salaries have also gone up by $30,000 since 2021, he added.

The chief justice is selected by a vote of the five North Dakota Supreme Court justices and state district court judges.

Jensen’s predecessor as chief, former Justice Gerald VandeWalle, led the court from 1993 until he decided not to seek another term as chief in 2019, citing his age. VandeWalle retired from the North Dakota Supreme Court in 2023 for health reasons.

North Dakota voters generally elect state Supreme Court justices for 10-year terms. In Jensen’s case, he was appointed by former Gov. Doug Burgum in 2017 to fill a vacancy on the high court left by former Justice Carol Ronning Kapsner, who retired. Jensen was then elected to a 10-year term on the court in 2020.

North Dakota Monitor reporter Mary Steurer can be reached at msteurer@northdakotamonitor.com.