Jason Hammes has been elected as a district court judge in the South Central Judicial District. He will assume office on January 1, 2025. Hammes has served as a judicial referee and magistrate in the same district since 2019. Before that, he worked as an assistant Bismarck city attorney and an assistant Burleigh County state's attorney. He is taking over the position left vacant by Judge Bruce Romanick, who retired at the end of his term.
Ryan Younggren has also been elected to serve as a district court judge, but in the East Central Judicial District. Like Hammes, he will begin his duties on January 1, 2025. Younggren has been an assistant Cass County State’s Attorney for many years and also served as an adjunct law professor at the University of North Dakota School of Law. He fills the vacancy created by Judge John Irby's retirement at the end of his term.