James Morris (January 2, 1893 – July 20, 1980) was Attorney General of North Dakota, and a justice of the

North Dakota Supreme Court The North Dakota Supreme Court is the highest court of law in the state of North Dakota. The Court rules on questions of law in appeals from the state's district courts. Each of the five justices are elected on a no-party ballot for ten year te ...

from 1935 to 1964.North Dakota Supreme Court Justices page for James Morris
Born in a

sod house The sod house or soddy was an often used alternative to the log cabin during frontier settlement of the Great Plains of Canada and the United States in the 1800s and early 1900s. Primarily used at first for animal shelters, corrals, and fences, ...

in Bordulac, North Dakota, Morris attended high school and college in

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

, receiving his law degree from the

University of Cincinnati Law School The University of Cincinnati College of Law was founded in 1833 as the Cincinnati Law School. It is the fourth oldest continuously running law school in the United States — after Harvard Law School, Harvard, the University of Virginia Law School, ...

. He entered the practice of law in

Carrington, North Dakota Carrington is a city in Foster County, North Dakota, United States. It is the county seat of Foster County. The population was 2,080 at the 2020 census. Carrington was founded in 1883. Carrington is home to Dakota Growers Pasta Company, Inc. H ...

, which was interrupted by service in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. He was appointed Assistant Attorney General in 1928, winning election to the office of Attorney General later that year. In 1934 he defeated Justice

George Moellring George Moellring (November 14, 1878 – May 31, 1935) was a justice of the North Dakota Supreme Court from December 1, 1933, to the end of 1934.

for a seat on the North Dakota Supreme Court. Morris was reelected in 1944 and 1954, and served continuously except for a year-long leave of absence to accept an appointment from President

Harry Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...

to serve as a trial judge for a

War Crimes Tribunal A war crimes trial is the trial of persons charged with criminal violation of the laws and customs of war and related principles of international law committed during armed conflict. History The trial of Peter von Hagenbach by an ad hoc tribuna ...

in Germany following World War II. He did not serve as a judge for the more famous

Nuremberg trials The Nuremberg trials were held by the Allies of World War II, Allies against representatives of the defeated Nazi Germany, for plotting and carrying out invasions of other countries, and other crimes, in World War II. Between 1939 and 1945 ...

, but served on a tribunal for the trial of twenty-three officials of I.G. Farben Industries. He died in

Bismarck, North Dakota Bismarck () is the capital of the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Burleigh County. It is the state's second-most populous city, after Fargo. The city's population was 73,622 in the 2020 census, while its metropolitan popula ...

References

Justices of the North Dakota Supreme Court University of Cincinnati College of Law alumni North Dakota Attorneys General 20th-century American judges 1893 births 1980 deaths {{NorthDakota-state-judge-stub