North Dakota court caseloads up, number of Judges down

(Bismarck, ND) -- Caseloads in the North Dakota judicial system are up, while the number of judges is down.

The state court system has over 50 trial court judges and five justices serving in eight districts. Chief Justice Jon Jensen told the Legislative Assembly Monday that the court system handles around 180-thousand cases a year and the number is growing.

Jensen says the vast majority of cases are completed within time standards.

The issue is the rising population in the state, and that the number of cases will grow to a point where the current number of judges will not be sufficient to handle the work.

The legislature is considering options on what to do next.