District Court Judge

Counties: Dakota

State Court Bio: View Bio

Motion Practice

• How long do you normally allow per party for argument of non-dispositive motions? 10 minutes
• How long do you normally allow per party for oral argument of dispositive motions? 20 minutes
• With respect to oral argument, do you prefer an attorney to not reiterate written material? Yes
• Do you regularly conduct hearings and motions by phone? No
  If yes, please describe the procedure you would like attorneys to use to do so, including how testimony is to be transcribed and who puts the teleconference together: I will do this in limited situations and for relatively minor matters. Generally, these are not recorded by any means unless the situation calls for it.
• State any specific procedures you would like attorneys in your courtroom to follow at motion hearings: At the beginning of the motion tell the court what relief you are seeking from the court. Do not repeat everything that is in your motion papers, just hit the high points. When I say that I have read your papers, I mean it. Don't interrupt the opposing counsel when they are arguing.
• Do you like to receive courtesy copies of motion papers? Yes

Discovery Disputes

• Do you require counsel to "meet and confer" before bringing discovery disputes to a hearing? Yes
• Will you accept telephone calls from attorneys to rule on discovery disputes that occur during the course of a deposition? No

Pretrial Procedures

• When do you normally set the pretrial in relation to the trial? These are set by court administration and not by the judge.
• Do you normally hear motions in limine at the pretrial? Yes
• When are jury instructions due? First day of trial
• When are proposed special verdict forms due? First day of trial
• When do you require that final witness lists be exchanged and filed? Approximately one month before trial unless the circumstances surrounding the trial would require a different time frame.
• When do you require that final exhibit lists be exchanged and filed? Approximately one month before trial unless the circumstances surrounding the trial would require a different time frame.
• Do you discuss settlement of the case with the parties at the time of the pretrial? Yes
• State any specific procedures you would like attorneys to follow at the time of the pretrial: Be prepared to conduct meaningful settlement discussions. At a minimum be ready to narrow the number of issues for trial.

Continuances and Changes in the Scheduling Order

• For changes in the scheduling order, except date of trial: I normally allow such changes if counsel agree.
• For changes on the date of trial: I normally allow such changes if counsel agree.
• Under what circumstances would you consider granting a change in the trial date? When both parties agree or when some type of unforeseen event comes up that was beyond the control of the party seeking the continuance.

Civil Jury Trials

• Do you perform preliminary voir dire? Yes
• Do you place a time limit on voir dire by counsel? No
• Is there subject matter you will not permit counsel to ask of the jury? Yes
  If yes, please explain: This would depend on the nature of the case and the subject matter counsel wanted to explore with the jury.
• Do you require counsel to sit or stand during questioning of witnesses? Sit
• Do you require counsel to be behind counsel table unless counsel has a specific reason to approach a witness? Yes
• Do you normally require counsel to meet each morning with the court before the jury comes into the courtroom? Yes
  If yes, how many minutes before court commences? I usually only require it if there are issues that need to be addressed before the jury comes into the courtroom.
• I normally start jury trials at: 9:00 a.m.
• I normally give the jury a break of 20 -25 minutes in the morning.
• I normally take a lunch break at: 12:00 Noon, or close to it depending on the testimony.
• I normally give the jury a break of 20 - 25 minutes in the afternoon.
• I normally finish court for the day at: 4:30 p.m., or close to it depending on the testimony.
• Do you permit jurors to:
  Take Notes: Yes
  Keep notes during deliberation? Yes
  Ask the witnesses questions? No
• If counsel asks to approach to argue a ruling, do you generally: Send the jury out of the courtroom and have argument in open court.
• Do you place a time limit on final argument? No
  If yes, If yes, what is the time limit? [No Answer Entered]
• When do you instruct the jury? Counsels’ preference
• After argument and instructions, do you:
  Require counsel to be available by telephone? Yes
  Request that counsel remain at the courthouse during deliberations of the jury? No
  Take a verdict without counsel present and inform them after the verdict by telephone of the result? Yes

Sanctions of Counsel

• Have you ever sanctioned counsel with imposition of a fine? No
  Or jail? No
• Have you ever held counsel in contempt of court? No
• Have you ever reported an attorney for unethical behavior? No
• When, if ever, would you consider issuing sanctions, formal reprimands, holding an attorney in contempt, or reporting an attorney for unethical behavior? I don't have an answer for that. It would depend on the conduct of the lawyer and the entire situation. Fortunately I have not had that situation come up yet.