Mary Muehlen Maring

Experience

Appointed to the North Dakota Supreme Court on March 1, 1996; elected by the citizens of the State in November 1996, 1998 and 2008, and served as a Justice on the Court until retirement on December 31, 2013. 

Authored 822 opinions and heard 3,200 oral arguments in almost eighteen years on the Court.   Disputes that came before the Court involved complex issues in many areas of the law, including personal injury, professional malpractice, contracts, insurance, probate, real property, oil and gas and employment.

Began legal career as a law clerk to the Honorable Bruce C. Stone, District Court Judge, Hennepin County, Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1975-1976.

Admitted to the Bar in both Minnesota and North Dakota in 1975.

Began practicing law as a civil trial attorney in 1976 and continued to litigate civil cases for the next twenty years in Minnesota and North Dakota courts.

Certified as a civil trial specialist by the Minnesota State Bar Association and the National Board of Trial Advocacy.

Elected to membership in the International Society of Barristers and presently a Judicial Fellow.

Mediation Training and Certification

Civil Mediation Training, National Judicial College, Reno, Nevada, October 2014.

North Dakota Statewide ADR Neutral Roster.

Honors

 
Richard S. Arnold Award for Distinguished Service, Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, 2014.

Distinguished Service Award, North Dakota Drug Court Professionals, Oct. 12, 2011.

Distinguished Service to the North Dakota Drug Courts Award, 2005.

Distinguished Patriotic Employer Award, U.S. Department of Defense and the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, 2005.

Distinguished Alumni Award, Minnesota State University at Moorhead, 1997.

Professional Activities

 
Former Chair, Joint Procedure Committee (N.D. Supreme Court rules committee).

Member, Commission on Alternatives to Incarceration (N.D. Legislative committee).

Former Chair, North Dakota Judicial Conference.

Former Chair, North Dakota Judicial Branch Education Commission.

Former Director, District 10, National Association of Women Judges.

Former Chair, Juvenile Drug Court Study, Planning and Implementation Committee, North Dakota Supreme Court.  Started two pilot courts in 2000 and now have six active juvenile drug courts in North Dakota.

Former Chair, Gender Fairness Implementation Committee.

Former member, Attorney Standards Committee.

Former member, Juvenile Policy Board.

Former member, Court Services Committee.

Former member, Joint Dispute Resolution Committee.

In 2006, started the “Justices Teaching Institute,” an outreach program for high school teachers taught by the justices of the North Dakota Supreme Court.

Lectures and Teaching

 
Guest lecturer, University of North Dakota School of Law, on expert witnesses, ethics and professionalism, evidentiary issues, women leaders, family law, appellate advocacy, science for lawyers and managing a case and preparing for trial. (1992-2015)

Presenter and facilitator, Justices Teaching Institute, “The Constitution and Judicial Decision-making.” (2006,2007,2009,2011,2013)

Continuing Legal Education seminars on mediation, preparing and trying automobile accident cases, ethics and the advocate, brief writing, harmless or prejudicial error, expert opinions, evidentiary issues, judicial ethics and self represented litigants, and appellate advocacy tips and maxims. (1990-2015)