The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals has weighed in on a lawsuit aimed at the State Bar Association of North Dakota over that organization’s use of legally-required lawyer dues to engage in political activities against a shared parenting measure in the 2014 election cycle. The plaintiff in the suit, Bismarck attorney Arnold Fleck, originally argued…
ND Democrat Says He’ll Avoid Criticizing Trump in Campaign for Congress: “I’M Not Running Against the President”
Yesterday we got news that West Fargo Democrat Ben Hanson, fresh off taking fourth place in a campaign for re-election to the state House last year, is launching a campaign for the U.S. House (listen to incumbent Rep. Kevin Cramer’s response to that news here). Anyway, in the reporting on Hanson’s announcement, he makes a…
State Water Commission May Have Flubbed Meeting Where Drought Relief Was Approved
Yesterday, acting on a reader tip, I sent in an open records request to Governor Doug Burgum’s office. What I was looking for was evidence that the commission had held an illegal meeting. This afternoon Burgum’s office sent out a press release headlined, “Newly appointed State Water Commission to meet next week, address issue raised…
North Dakota Republicans, Democrats Get Utterly Uninspiring Candidates for House and Senate Races Today
For those of us who enjoy horse race politics, today was an indication that the 2018 election cycle in North Dakota may be a dull one. For the Democrats, former state lawmaker Ben Hanson of West Fargo announced his intention to run for the U.S. House. The most pertinent part of his resume may be…
The Dakota Access Pipeline Has Reduced Oil by Rail Shipments by 20 Percent in First Month of Operation
The opponents of the Dakota Access Pipeline, many of them political extremists with a propensity for vandalism and violence, told us that the line was a risk. The truth beyond those talking points is more complicated, as it so often is. According to a recent report from the North Dakota Pipeline Authority (see below), rising…
Report Shows Where You Get Divorced in North Dakota Could Have a Big Impact on Child Custody Outcomes
North Dakota has had a long-running debate over shared parenting. Multiple ballot measures, and multiple legislative efforts, over the years have resulted in some reforms though shared parenting proponents still want more reform. Opponents of reform tell us that there’s nothing all that wrong with the status quo. That custody cases are adjudicated fairly and…
Senators Hoeven, Heitkamp Back Serious Threat to Internet Freedom
Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (the common name for Title V of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 which, in turn, was an amendment of the Communications Act of 1934) is one of the most important pieces of public policy for the internet. Here’s what it says: “No provider or user of an interactive…
Stop Touting the Economic Benefits of Food Stamps
“Cuts to SNAP would increase strain on local food bank resources,” reads a headline over a letter to the editor from Great Plains Food Bank CEO Steve Sellent and his board members. The argument, as I’m sure you’ve gathered, is that we ought not reduce federal spending on food stamps. Of course, it seems we’re…
State Rep. Rick Becker Says Decision on Senate Run May Have to Wait Until September but Won’t Hinge on Cramer
We know that state Senator Tom Campbell of Grafton is considering a run for the NDGOP nomination to challenge Democratic U.S. Senate incumbent Heidi Heitkamp (who is absolutely running for re-election despite her silly posturing). We also know that both Kathy Neset, an oil industry consultant and member of the North Dakota State Board of…
Victims Shouldn’t Have to Pay for the Law Enforcement Costs Created by Their Abusers
Here’s a simple truth about the #NoDAPL protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline: The pipeline company was repeatedly the victim of violent crime and vandalism while working, lawfully, to complete a permitted project. The political extremists who organized and perpetrated the often unlawful, often violent demonstrations were the perpetrators. That’s the point I make in…
