The Hon. Bonnie L. Storbakken is a judge for the North Dakota South Central Judicial District. She was elected to the bench in 2020, filling a vacancy created by the retirement of the Hon. Thomas J. Schneider.
The South Central Judicial District includes Burleigh County, Emmons County, Grant County, McLean County, Mercer County, Morton County, Oliver County, Sioux County, and Sheridan County.
Prior to her election, Storbakken was the Executive Secretary for the North Dakota Board of Medicine, a position to which she was named in 2017. Before that, she spent time as general counsel and senior policy advisor for the Office of Governor Jack Dalrymple (2014 to 2016).
Storbakken earned a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of North Dakota in 1999. She then completed a J.D. at the University of North Dakota School of Law in 2004. As a law student, Storbakken clerked for Peter Welte, the Grand Forks County State’s Attorney.
After graduating from law school, Storbakken began her legal career as a staff attorney and program director for the State Bar Association of North Dakota. She worked in that capacity until 2005, at which time she entered into private practice. Then, in 2013, she was named Commissioner for the North Dakota Department of Labor and Human Rights.
Her memberships have included the Board of Directors for Hope Manor, a sober living home for men and women in Bismarck.
Born in Grand Forks, North Dakota, Storbakken and her husband, David, reside in Bismarck. They have three children.