Judge rules on N.D. legislative map

After failing to do so on their own, the North Dakota Legislature has had the job of drawing a new legislative district completed for them.

On Monday, Jan. 8, U.S. District Judge Peter Welte chose a map that puts the Spirit Lake Nation and the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa in the same legislative district.

The decision by Welte is the result of a successful lawsuit brought by the tribes, arguing the previous map from 2021 violated the Voting Rights Act.

The 2021 redistricting process put Turtle Mountain in its own sub district – 9A – and Spirit Lake in District 15.

Now, due to Welte's order, the two reservations will be together in District 9 for at least one election cycle.

Once Welte's ruling came down in the tribes' favor, it was originally the legislature's job to find a solution.

Their deadline for doing so was December 22, 2023. Their failure to meet that deadline prompted the judge to select the second of two maps that were presented as options in his ruling.

Map 2, the one selected by Welte, connects both reservations with a corridor of land in between, impacting parts of Benson and Pierce Counties.

Since Welte's initial ruling in support of the tribes, the State of North Dakota has appealed the decision with the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals.

In the meantime, North Dakota Secretary of State Michael Howe has said they will comply with the Judge's ruling, as the appellate court's decision would not change district maps before the 2024 elections.

Districts impacted by this new map include districts 9 and 15, and the Secretary of State's Office has said it's working with the Office of the Attorney General regarding elections in those districts.

In 2024, all even-numbered districts are due for an election, but Welte's ruling means Districts 9 and 15 must also hold elections.

One state senator sure to be impacted is Republican Judy Estenson, a resident of Warwick and the Spirit Lake Reservation who was elected in 2022 to be the senator of the former District 15.

The new map takes her out of 15 and into the new District 9, where she's unlikely to win reelection.

The former District 15 included the Spirit Lake Reservation, Devils Lake and Ramsey County.

Meanwhile, counties impacted by the new map include Benson, Cavalier, Eddy, Rolette, Pierce and Towner. The Secretary of State's Office has said they're working on precinct boundaries in those counties.

The impact to Eddy County, however, is minimal.

The portion of Eddy County which is part of the Spirit Lake Nation will remain in a different legislative district than the rest of the county.

But instead of that portion being in District 15, as it was for the 2022 elections, it will now be in District 9.