GRAND FORKS — Though at the time of her death it had been more than 15 years since Laurel Rae Hanson’s legal career ended, a longtime North Dakota Supreme Court chief justice and a federal magistrate judge still fondly remember her skill, passion and dedication.

“Laurel was patient, brilliant and a really good writer,” said Karen Klein, former longtime U.S. magistrate judge, now recognized as a settlement expert and mediation skills trainer. “I find it such a tragedy that her life was cut so short, and that she couldn’t carry through with the career that she so obviously loved.”

Hanson died on Feb. 21, at age 49.

She would have turned 50 on March 10. Her death came after nearly two decades spent combating various health issues, including osteoporosis and an injury that led to early retirement in 2009, when she was in her early 30s.

Former longtime North Dakota Supreme Court Chief Justice Gerald W. VandeWalle said he was sorry to hear about Hanson’s death, though he knew she was in poor health. He was her first mentor out of UND School of Law, and found her the perfect fit for the role of his clerk.

“She was an outstanding law clerk, as far as I was concerned,” VandeWalle said. “She certainly deserves all the respect I have for law clerks.”

Hanson’s mother, Barbara Hanson, said she wasn’t sure where her daughter’s career would have ended up if it hadn’t been cut short due to her health issues. Her career had just begun, but she did enjoy clerkship. After working for VandeWalle, Laurel Hanson moved on to a two-year position as Klein’s law clerk. She later took a permanent position when it opened.

The work of law clerks takes place primarily behind the scenes. They help judges review case files, researching and writing first drafts of decisions — a particularly important job, because decisions are expected to include detailed reasoning so everyone involved in a case understands what factored into a judge’s ruling, Klein said.

“If judges were to do it all from scratch, all by themselves, the backlog would just become unmanageable, and parties would wait many months — if not years — for decisions,” she said. “So it’s really important to have that legal expertise in someone other than the judge.”

Judges don’t control the cases assigned to them. While some are simple, others are highly complex — especially in the federal court system, where civil rights issues are handled, she said. Though Hanson’s career was brief, it had impact. Klein still recalls the work Hanson did researching and writing legal documents.

At a young age, she balanced what could at times be heavy work. Hanson was there when Alfonso Rodriguez Jr. was turned over to the federal court system and arraigned for the 2003 kidnapping and murder of 22-year-old Dru Sjodin, a case that made national headlines and created a tense atmosphere in North Dakota, particularly for women, Barbara Hanson said.

Laurel Hanson suffered a fall in 2008 that didn’t seem overly significant at the time, but led to an infection that caused further damage to already weakened bones, her mother said. She retired in 2009.

“I think she loved the law; she just loved delving into issues,” Klein said. “It was just a tragedy that she couldn’t continue.”

Whether dealing with highly controversial or straightforward cases, Laurel Hanson remained level-headed and fair, which are valuable skills for the job, Klein said. She valued Hanson beyond her professional abilities; they also discussed books and Hanson’s travels. She made an effort to embark on new experiences, such as skydiving and scuba diving.

“Things that some of us wouldn’t even dream of — she was willing to take them on,” Klein said.

Barbara Hanson agreed that travel and adventure were among her daughter’s passions, which also included animals, friends and family. During the summer of last year, she was ecstatic to become a great aunt.

“Laurel did so many things, and probably could’ve done more if she hadn’t run up against all her health problems,” Barbara Hanson said. “Laurel really loved life.”

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — Freshman Greyson Uelmen finished with a season-high 41 points to lead North Dakota to an 83-67 victory over Denver on Friday night in the quarterfinals of the Summit League Tournament.

No. 3 seed North Dakota moves on to play No. 2 seed St. Thomas-Minnesota in a Saturday semifinal. No. 1 North Dakota State plays No. 5 seed Omaha in the other semifinal.

Uelmen made 13 of 19 shots with three 3-pointers and 12 of 18 free throws, adding three steals for the Fightin’ Hawks (17-16). Eli King scored 20 points, going 7 of 17 (5 for 9 from 3-point range).

Carson Johnson led the way for the Pioneers (15-17) with 17 points. Jeremiah Burke added 13 points and Shaun Wysocki scored 11.

Uelmen had 19 points in the first half as North Dakota took a 42-29 lead into the break.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

Recruiting never stops in the world of college hockey, and that trend has continued for Michigan State. A huge prospect has just re-opened his recruitment, and is back on the market, and the Spartans are in the thick of it.

Carson Pilgrim, a 5-foot-11 and 185 pound forward form Warroad (MN) has decommitted from North Dakota. The current Tri-City Storm star has the attention of many across the country, including MSU.

The Spartans have been listed alongside St. Cloud State and Colorado College as schools pursuing the top USHL prospect. He more than certainly will be donning a college sweater next year and Adam Nightingale wants it to be in the green and white.

Pilgrim has 16 goals and 19 assists in 42 games in the USHL this season.

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