02/20/26: Gov. Armstrong appointed Mark Friese to the North Dakota Supreme Court earlier this week. Mark will begin his term on March 9 and succeed retiring Supreme Court Justice Daniel Crothers. Mark has practiced criminal defense law and civil litigation for 25 years. He is a shareholder with the Vogel Law Firm in Fargo and clerked for North Dakota Supreme Court Justice Dale Sandstrom for one year.

(Joel Heitkamp is a talk show host on the Mighty 790 KFGO in Fargo-Moorhead. His award-winning program, “News & Views,” can be heard weekdays from 8 – 11 a.m. Follow Joel on X/Twitter @JoelKFGO.)