Spring 2020 Gavel 268650 SBAND Gavel Magazine_web | Page 16

U.S. District Court Judge Daniel L. Hovland:
Senior status doesn’t mean slowing down
By Kylie Blanchard, Clearwater Communications
A Federal judgeship wasn’t necessarily something U.S. District
Court Judge Daniel L. Hovland thought was on his career path,
but after working in private practice for more than 20 years, he
was encouraged by many to apply in 2002 for an open judgeship in
Bismarck. “Several people approached me and encouraged me to
apply,” he says. “Without their support I would never have been able
to have a position like this.”
For more than 18 years, Hovland has served as a U.S. District Judge
in the District of North Dakota. He served as the District’s Chief
Judge from 2002-2009, and again from 2016 until he assumed
senior status on Nov. 10, 2019, his 65th birthday.
While senior status is often a transition to a lighter caseload or even
retirement, Hovland says he will remain behind the bench full-time
to help meet the needs of the district’s current caseload. “With
senior status, you can continue to work full-time or something less
than that,” he notes. “Nothing has changed as of right now. I expect
I will be working full-time for a while.”
But according to Hovland, continuing to serve in a position he truly
enjoys isn’t burdensome but, instead, rewarding and challenging.
“Every day is different, and you learn something new every day,” he
says. “Never once has there been a day I did not want to go to work.”
The Road to a Career in Law
Hovland grew up in Moorhead, Minn., graduating from Moorhead
High School, and continued on to Concordia College, where he
played basketball for four years. “I wasn’t quite certain what I wanted
to go into. I thought maybe I would teach and coach,” he says.
His college advisor, Dr. Harding Noblitt, head of the political
science department, strongly encouraged him to think about law
school. “Dr. Noblitt convinced me it would be a real challenge and
an opportunity to make a positive impact and help people who
desperately needed help,” says Hovland. “I don’t regret it for a
moment. I love the practice of law.”
He graduated, summa cum laude, in 1976 with a bachelor of arts
degree in history and political science and continued his education
at the University of North Dakota (UND) School of Law, where he
graduated with distinction in 1979. “I really enjoyed my experience
at UND. There were small classes with great professors who were
genuinely concerned you received a solid legal education.”
During law school, he clerked with the Nilles Law Firm as well as
the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Fargo and, following graduation, was
a law clerk for North Dakota Supreme Court Chief Justice Ralph J.
Erickstad. “Those are really nice positions to secure after law school,”
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he says of the one-year clerkship.
“Chief Justice Erickstad was
just a wonderful man and a
tremendous mentor.”
Hovland says he moved to
Bismarck with the intention of
just staying one year but decided
to take another position as an
assistant attorney general, where Judge Daniel L. Hovland
he worked under North Dakota
Attorney Generals Allen Olson and Robert Wefald. In 1983, he
joined Fleck, Mather, Strutz, & Mayer, Ltd, in Bismarck, and served
as a partner until 1994. “That was just a great group of lawyers and
a well-established law firm where I had an opportunity to do a wide
range of legal work surrounded by very supportive colleagues.”
In 1994, he became a partner in the firm of Smith, Bakke, Hovland
& Oppegard in Bismarck, where he remained until 2002. “I was
fortunate in all my employment to work with excellent attorneys
who were very capable, competent, supportive, and had a strong
work ethic,” he says.
Becoming a Federal Judge
In 2001, U.S. District Court Judge Patrick Conmy assumed
senior status and a committee was formed in Bismarck to solicit
applications to fill the judgeship position. “When I first heard about
the opening, I didn’t submit an application,” Hovland says.
After being encouraged by many individuals, including former
Bismarck Mayor John Warford, he applied for the position. “Out of
the committee, four names were forwarded on to the White House
and we were interviewed by the White House and the Department
of Justice,” he notes, adding he also had strong support from then
North Dakota Governor John Hoeven and the state’s congressional
delegation, Senator Byron Dorgan, Senator Kent Conrad, and
Representative Earl Pomeroy. “I would not be in this position today
without their unwavering support.”
Hovland was nominated for the position by President George W.
Bush in June 2002 and confirmed by the Senate in November of
that year.
He says when he first became a U.S. District Court Judge, he had
a strong background in civil litigation from his time in private
practice. “In the civil arena, I had handled a wide range of cases and
was involved in many jury trials,” he notes. “But rarely do you find
a federal judge who has had extensive experience in both civil and
criminal work.”