Southwest Judicial District Presiding Judge William A. Herauf has announced that he will retire effective November 30, 2026.
In a letter dated September 4, 2026 to Chief Justice Lisa Fair McEvers, Governor Kelly Armstrong noted that Presiding Judge Willam A. Herauf had notified him in a letter dated September 2, 2026 of his intent to retire on November 30, 2026.
Born in Dickinson, North Dakota, in 1957, Judge Herauf graduated from Dickinson High School in 1975. He attended the University of North Dakota, earning a Bachelor of Administration in 1979 and a Juris Doctor from the University of North Dakota School of Law in 1982. He was admitted to the North Dakota Bar on October 11, 1982. Prior to joining the bench, Judge Herauf practiced law in Dickinson, where he maintained a private legal practice for more than two decades. Judge Herauf was appointed to the North Dakota District Court in 2006 by Governor John Hoeven, serving in Judgeship No. 2 of the Southwest Judicial District in Dickinson. He was subsequently elected to the position in 2008 and re-elected in 2010, 2016, and 2022.
View the governor's letter here: Download
