North Dakota
Port: North Dakota got railroaded in redistricting lawsuit
MINOT — A federal judge
has imposed a new legislative district map
on North Dakota, and while some partisans and pundits are carrying on as though this is some great victory for voting rights, the reality is that it will change very little in our state’s politics.
The lawsuit that precipitated Judge Peter Welte’s ruling was rooted in the idea that the map approved by lawmakers in 2021 did not sufficiently empower Native American voters. I would be surprised if the new map increased, in any appreciable way, the number of Native Americans in North Dakota’s Legislature.
Reasonable people can make their peace with the new map. It’s going to create a difficult election year for a couple very unreasonable lawmakers. Rep. Donna Henderson, a Republican in District 9B, and Sen. Judy Estenson, a Republican in District 15, are among the lawmakers impacted by the new map. Both are strident populist culture warriors and unserious policymakers, and if they aren’t re-elected, it won’t break my heart.
Also, we should remember that the map this one replaced was also drawn by state lawmakers to increase the number of Native Americans serving in Bismarck. And it worked. Two Native American women were elected to the subdistricts created by the map. Despite the narratives around this lawsuit, the Legislature was already trying to achieve the worthy goal of increasing Native American representation.
But the process that led to this new, court-ordered map? It stunk.
Let’s start with the premise the court accepted. The plaintiffs argued, and the judge agreed, that because Native Americans are not elected to the Legislature in numbers proportional to the percentage of the state population they make up, the districts were gerrymandered.
Which might come as a surprise to all the Native Americans who supported and voted or the map, not to mention those elected because of it).
It’s a crude and unnuanced metric to use, but that’s what the flawed, broken Voting Rights Act requires.
And then there was the process. Welte issued his initial opinion, finding our state’s current map to be invalid, on Nov. 17. He then set a Dec. 22 deadline for our Legislature to develop a new map, or else he’d impose one on it.
In just 35 days, some of them over the holidays, our part-time lawmakers were supposed to explore their legal options, exercise their right to appeal the ruling, develop a new map, and then call themselves into session to approve that map.
Welte himself took 158 days,
from the date trial in June,
to issue his opinion.
Even when state officials appealed, the courts refused to budge on the hurry-up timeline. As I write this, the state’s appeal is still pending before the 8th Circuit, but that doesn’t matter. The court has ordered a new map, and state officials are obliged to comply.
North Dakotans now have a new legislative district map. One drawn by plaintiffs’ lawyers, and a judge, and not their elected representatives.
This, we’re supposed to believe, was a process in pursuit of fairness. It wasn’t.
FARGO — Picture the classic Hallmark Christmas movie: light snow drifts over a festively decorated town square as a big-city protagonist returns to her charming, but small hometown, and, against all odds, discovers holiday romance.
For many, the Christmas season isn’t complete without watching one — or a few — of these feel-good films. This year, North Dakotans and country music lovers have an extra reason to get festive with these films as the country singing sister duo Tigirlily Gold made their Hallmark debut in one of the network’s newest holiday releases.
The Hazen, North Dakota natives Krista and Kendra Slaubaugh appeared in “A Grand Ole Opry Christmas,” which premiered Nov. 29 on The Hallmark Channel.
The film carries the familiar warmth of a Hallmark storyline, but instead of a hometown reunion and newfound love, this plot leans into time travel — where romance plays second fiddle to family.
The 1-hour, 24-minute movie follows Gentry Wade (Nikki DeLoach), the daughter of late country music icon Jett Wade (Rob Mayes). After a tragic accident 30 years prior, Gentry abandoned her songwriting dreams and distanced herself from her father’s legacy. When the Grand Ole Opry invites her to represent Jett at their Christmas centennial celebration, she’s hesitant to return to the place steeped in bittersweet memories.
Hallmark’s
description continues: “Encouraged by her good friends, Gentry visits the Opry and, while seated in one of the vaunted venue’s oak church pews, is suddenly transported to 1995. Gentry’s lifelong friend Mac (Kristoffer Polaha), a country music talent manager, finds himself in 1995 as well. Thanks to some Christmas magic, Gentry gets precious time with her father, creative inspiration to finish the song she began decades earlier as a teen and learns surprising answers to questions about her father that have followed her for the last three decades.”
Tigirlily Gold makes a cameo in a performance scene, singing their holiday single “Mistletoe Tipsy,” a country-styled Christmas tune that blends with the movie’s heartwarming, nostalgic tone.
Following the premiere of “A Grand Ole Opry Christmas,” the sisters were recognized as members of the 2025 Opry NextStage Class, alongside Dasha, Kashus Culpepper, Chayce Beckham, Avery Anna and Kaitlin Butts, as they took the stage Wednesday, Dec. 3, at Category 10 for the fifth annual “Opry NextStage Live.”
The sister duo’s cameo can be seen throughout the holiday season on the Hallmark Channel or streamed anytime on Hallmark+.
FARGO — A newcomer to North Dakota elections has launched a legislative campaign alongside two Fargo-area lawmakers.
Shawn Kessel, business development director for Fargo construction company Roers, will seek his first term representing District 27 in the North Dakota House, according to a news release. He joins the Republican ticket with Sen. Kristin Roers and Rep. Greg Stemen, both of Fargo.
“District 27 deserves a representative who can get to work on day one,” Kessel said in a statement. “I’ve spent my career solving complex problems for North Dakota communities, and I’ll bring that same commonsense leadership to the Legislature.”
Contributed / North Dakota Legislative Assembly
The Dickinson native will run for a seat held by
Rep. TJ Brown.
District 27 Republicans selected Brown in March to replace
Rep. Josh Christy,
a 43-year-old lawmaker who died unexpectedly on Feb. 18 in Bismarck during the 2025 legislative session.
It’s unclear why Brown decided not to seek election to the post. The Forum has reached out to him for comment.
Kessel started working for
Roers in February.
He was a deputy commissioner and chief operating officer for the North Dakota Commerce Department from 2018 until January of this year. Kessel wrote on his LinkedIn page that his time with the Commerce Department came to a “surprising” end as Gov. Kelly Armstrong took office.
Kessel also served as a city administrator for Wahpeton from 2000 to 2009, then filled a similar position for Dickinson until his transition to the state Commerce Department. He was a finalist for
West Fargo city administrator in 2023.
Tom Stromme / The Bismarck Tribune
Sen. Roers, who is also the majority caucus leader in the Senate, has represented District 27 since 2019. She is a nursing and clinical systems consultant for Sanford Health.
Stemen has held his seat since 2021.
District 27 covers parts of southwest Fargo and east Cass County south of Fargo down to County Road 46, extending from the Red River to west of Horace.
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