Hon. James D. Hovey is a judge for the Southeast Judicial District of North Dakota. He was appointed to the bench by former Governor John Hoeven in 2010.
The Southeast Judicial District includes Barnes, Dickey, Eddy, Foster, Griggs, LaMoure, Ransom, Richland, Sargent, Stutsman, and Wells Counties.
Prior to his appointment, Hovey was in private practice in Grand Forks (1996 to 2010) and served as the city attorney for Larimore (2001 to 2010). He was also an instructor at the University of North Dakota Center for Legal Studies.
He received a B.A. in Russian and Soviet studies from the University of North Dakota (1987) and an M.A. in Russian language and literature from the University of Arizona (1991). Hovey went on to earn a J.D. at the University of North Dakota School of Law in 1996.
While a graduate student, he taught basic Russian and also completed 260 hours of language instruction at Moscow State University in Moscow, Russia.
Hovey was admitted to practice in North Dakota (1996), Minnesota (1997), the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota (1997), and the United States District Court for the District of North Dakota (1996).
His memberships have included the American Bar Association, the Grand Forks County Bar Association, and the American Trial Lawyers Association.