Gov. Armstrong Appoints Marina Spahr South Central Judicial District Judge

North Dakota Governor Kelly Armstrong has appointed Marina Spahr to the South Central Judicial District judgeship, effective September 15. Spahr, a Bismarck attorney with over 30 years of experience in both civil and criminal law, will fill the vacancy left by Judge David Reich's retirement in June. She has served as assistant attorney general and director of the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit since 2019, and previously worked as senior assistant Burleigh County state's attorney and in private practice, covering family law, real estate, probate, and contracts. A University of North Dakota School of Law graduate, Spahr has participated in more than 70 trials and made 20 North Dakota Supreme Court appearances. She had run unsuccessfully for a district court judgeship last year and was one of three finalists for this appointment. The South Central Judicial District includes nine counties, with the judgeship chambered in Bismarck.