North Dakota Law

Updates from the University of North Dakota School of Law.

ND Attorney General, Wayne Stenehjem ’77 announces retirement

Longtime North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem announces retirement

Wayne Stenehjem announced Friday, Dec. 17, that he will not seek reelection next year to the office he has held since 2001.

BISMARCK — The longest-serving attorney general in North Dakota history will retire at the end of next year.

Republican Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem announced Friday, Dec. 17, that he will not seek reelection next year to the office he has held since 2001.

The 68-year-old Capitol mainstay told reporters he wants to spend more time at home in the Bismarck area and traveling abroad with his recently retired wife, Beth.

Stenehjem touted accomplishments his office has made in busting up locally operated meth labs, mitigating human trafficking and reducing driving under the influence. He added that he’s proud to have stood up for open records laws and lobbied for the establishment of a crime lab that analyzes physical evidence.

The attorney general said he has advocated for the state on environmental issues as a member of the Industrial Commission, noting that he helped set regulations on the flaring of natural gas during oil production. Stenehjem said one of his top triumphs remains his office’s 2004 victory of $30 million for the city of Mandan after a massive underground diesel spill at a BNSF Railway yard

Read the full Grand Forks Herald article