The North Dakota Attorney General is the chief legal officer of the
North Dakota
North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the Native Americans in the United States, indigenous Dakota people, Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north a ...
state government. The Attorney General's office represents the state government in court cases and issues opinions of points of law upon request.
Drew Wrigley
Drew Howard Wrigley (born October 10, 1965) is an American attorney, lawyer, and politician from North Dakota. Wrigley currently serves as the attorney general of North Dakota after being appointed to the position by Governor Doug Burgum followin ...
was appointed to the position on February 8, 2022, to finish the term of
Wayne Stenehjem
Wayne Stenehjem ( ; February 5, 1953 – January 28, 2022) was an American lawyer and politician from the U.S. state of North Dakota. He was the Attorney General of the state, serving from December 15, 2000 until his death. He sought the Republi ...
, who died in office.
History
Since the creation of the office by the state's constitution in 1889, the state has seen a total of 28 Attorneys General. The office has been known to change hands rather quickly. The office has been held by the
North Dakota Republican Party
The North Dakota Republican Party is the North Dakota affiliate of the United States Republican Party.
Its platform is conservative. It is currently the dominant party in the state, controlling North Dakota's at-large U.S. House seat, both U.S. S ...
for a wide majority of its existence; only three of the 28 Attorneys General were from the state's Democratic Party and two Attorneys General ran on the
Non Partisan League
The Nonpartisan League (NPL) was a left-wing political party founded in 1915 in North Dakota by Arthur C. Townley, a former organizer for the Socialist Party of America. On behalf of small farmers and merchants, the Nonpartisan League advoca ...
-ticket. The Attorney General originally served a two-year term, but this was extended to four in 1964 by a constitutional amendment.
Oversight
The Office of the Attorney General oversees the state Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the office of the state Fire Marshall, and is charged with enforcement of the state open meetings and open records laws. The Attorney General is also responsible for gambling regulations (except horse betting), overseeing the
state's lottery and charitable gaming, as well as the
intergovernmental compacts related to
Native American gaming
Native American gaming comprises casinos, bingo halls, and other gambling operations on Indian reservations or other tribal lands in the United States. Because these areas have tribal sovereignty, states have limited ability to forbid gambling th ...
within North Dakota.
See also
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List of attorneys general of North Dakota
The following is a list of attorneys general of North Dakota. Attorneys general previously were elected to a two year-term, which was extended to four in 1964.
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References
External links
North Dakota Attorney Generalofficial website
North Dakota Attorney Generalarticles at ''ABA Journal''
at
FindLaw
FindLaw is a business of Thomson Reuters that provides online legal information and online marketing services for law firms. FindLaw was created by Stacy Stern, Martin Roscheisen, and Tim Stanley in 1995, and was acquired by Thomson West in 2001. ...
*
ttp://law.justia.com/codes/north-dakota/ North Dakota Century Codeat Law.Justia.com
U.S. Supreme Court Opinions - "Cases with title containing: State of North Dakota"at
FindLaw
FindLaw is a business of Thomson Reuters that provides online legal information and online marketing services for law firms. FindLaw was created by Stacy Stern, Martin Roscheisen, and Tim Stanley in 1995, and was acquired by Thomson West in 2001. ...
State Bar Association of North DakotaNorth Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem profileat
National Association of Attorneys General
The National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization of state and territory attorneys general in the United States.
NAAG is governed by member attorneys general, with a president and executive committee se ...
Press releasesat North Dakota Attorney General
1889 establishments in North Dakota
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