GERALD W. VANDEWALLE MEDAL
The Gerald W. VandeWalle Medal was created by the board of governors in 2017 to recognize individuals for their significant dedication and contributions to the administration of justice or the improvement of the judicial system. The award, which need not be given every year, honors an individual or individuals who bring credit to the state of North Dakota and its judicial system or to the administration of justice in North Dakota or the United States. The recipient need not be an attorney but should be a current or former resident of the state of North Dakota. The president of the association shall consult with the Chief Justice or members of the judicial branch to identify worthy recipients of this award.
The 2026 recipient of the Gerald W. VandeWalle Medal is the Honorable James S. Hill. Judge Hill grew up in Grand Forks and received a bachelor of arts degree from the University of North Dakota( UND). In 1974, he graduated from the UND School of Law with a juris doctorate. He was a law clerk to United States District Judge Paul Benson in Fargo and then took a job as an assistant United States attorney in Bismarck. Hill entered private practice in Bismarck at the Zuger Kirmis & Smith law firm, practicing primarily in the areas of civil litigation and professional malpractice. Prior to his service on the bench, he tried more than 100 civil and criminal cases to a jury in both state and federal courts.
In August 2014, Hill was appointed to the South Central Judicial District Court by Gov. Jack Dalrymple and was elected in 2016 and re-elected in 2020. Hill has given years of service on SBAND’ s Board of Governors, serving as president in 1991-92. He also served on the North Dakota Court Facilities Improvement Advisory Committee, the Court Services Administration Committee for the North Dakota Supreme Court, and North Dakota Administrative Council. He has served on SBAND’ s Ethics Committee, Judicial Selection Taskforce, and on the North Dakota Bar Foundation Board of Directors.
Hill has been an active member of the Big Muddy Bar Association, the North Dakota Bar Foundation, Bruce M. Van Sickle American Inn of Court, North Dakota Judicial Conference, and the North Dakota Judicial Conduct Commission.
Hill has a long and distinguished record of service as a member of the American Bar Association( ABA) House of Delegates and
Hon. James S. Hill
served on the ABA’ s Standing Committee on Lawyer Responsibility for Client Protection. He served the ABA Nominating Committee, the ABA Gun Violence Advisory Committee, the ABA Technology and Communications Committee, as appointed chair of the ABA Commission on IOLTA, and the ABA Law Day Planning Committee.
For his first term on the ABA Board of Governors, Hill represented District 10. While on the board of governors, he was on the Operations and Communications Committee, Membership Subcommittee, and was a member and chair of the Committee for Special Presidential Awards. He has had numerous liaison assignments and served as chair of the ABA Board of Governors Executive Director Compensation Committee and chair of the ABA Board of Governors Executive Director Search Committee.
2026 DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD
The Distinguished Service Award, created in 1980 by the board of governors, is the most prestigious award given by the association. The award recognizes the efforts of its most outstanding members and honors a member of the profession who has provided outstanding service to the state and legal community over an extended career. The Distinguished Service Award plaque, which hangs outside the courtroom of the North Dakota Supreme Court, is intended to permanently honor recipients. This year’ s award was presented to Justice Daniel J. Crothers.
Justice Crothers was born in Fargo. He grew up in West Fargo, American Samoa, and Albuquerque, New Mexico. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of North Dakota( UND) in 1979 and his law degree from the UND School of Law in 1982. After law school, he clerked for the New Mexico Court of Appeals and worked in a Santa Fe law firm. He moved back to North Dakota, practicing law in several law firms until being appointed to the North Dakota Supreme Court in June 2005.
Crothers was president of the State Bar Association of North Dakota from 2001- 2002 and has served as a member and chair of several bar association and court committees relating to lawyer and judicial ethics and professional conduct. He has served as chair of the North Dakota Court Technology Committee, Court Services Administration Committee, and Judicial Branch Education Commission, as well as the Policy Implementation Committee at the American Bar Association( ABA) Center for Professional Responsibility and the ABA Standing Committee on Client Protection.
Justice Daniel J. Crothers
He has also served on the ABA Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility the ABA’ s Cybersecurity Task Force.
Crothers is a regular presenter of legal and judicial educational programs throughout the United States and its territories and is an adjunct faculty member of the National Judicial College in Reno, Nevada. He was elected to the Supreme Court in November 2008 to fill an unexpired four-year term and elected in November 2012 to a full 10-year term. Crothers retired in February 2026.
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