Andrew Eyre ’13, Grand Forks’ newest district judge, brings commitment to justice to the position
Eyre’s role will be celebrated in an investiture ceremony on Oct. 2. He has been serving as one of six Northeast Central Judicial District judges since late August, and was previously a prosecutor.
By Sav Kelly
GRAND FORKS — A longtime prosecutor was recently appointed to the Northeast Central Judicial District’s vacant judge position, a role the district’s presiding judge and lead prosecutor believe suits him well.
Andrew Eyre officially began his role as the newest judge in the Northeast Central Judicial District on Aug. 29. His recent appointment will be celebrated at 2 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 2, in Courtroom 303 of the Grand Forks County Courthouse, located at 124 S. Fourth St. A reception will be held from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the Lawrence E. Jahnke Courtroom. Guests are advised to allow time to clear security.
Grand Forks County State’s Attorney Haley Wamstad said Eyre, her former employee, is an excellent selection for the position, which became vacant after former Judge John Thelen’s retirement this fall.
“I think our community is fortunate to have Judge Eyre now serving on the bench, because he really has the character and qualities that you would expect a judge to have,” Wamstad said.
He’s well respected, professional, hardworking, fair and committed to justice, she said. Wamstad has worked alongside Eyre since he interned at the Grand Forks County State’s Attorney’s Office more than a decade ago and, during that time, she said he has established a positive professional reputation with justice partners, ranging from defense attorneys to law enforcement.
Wamstad believes his reputation among colleagues strongly supported his bid for the judgeship. She also referenced his work as a prosecutor, and the requirement to consider a victim and their rights, but also the rights of the defendant and legal standards in the state.
“I think that will suit him well for the judgeship, because in his prior role he’s already been mindful of ensuring that justice is served for everybody involved,” Wamstad said.
Originally from Wausau, Wisconsin, Eyre relocated to Grand Forks for law school, and said he fell in love with the community. He has remained here since.
“It’s a great place to go to school, and an even better place to raise a family,” he said.
Eyre graduated from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in 2007 with degrees in political science and history. He stumbled into a legal career; he said he’s thankful, since said he had no idea what he wanted to do.
He spent a year teaching English in Changchun, China. Returning to the U.S., Eyre worked at a Logistics Health Incorporated call center, assisting military service members and 9/11 first-responders with scheduling medical appointments.
A few years later, Eyre decided to attend UND School of Law in hopes of finding a more challenging career, he said. Law school was a new experience for him; none of his family members — or anyone he knew — had a legal background.
After his first year of law school, he worked at a personal injury firm, but decided to pursue something that offered an expanded experience. During his second year at UND Law, Eyre interned with the JAG Corps at the Grand Forks Air Force Base. In May of 2012, an opportunity arose to intern at the Grand Forks County State’s Attorney’s Office.
“I considered other areas of the law, but what I was really interested in was getting as much court time as possible,” Eyre said. “I loved the courtroom.”
He thought about pursuing defense work, but law students need client permission to appear on their behalf in court, and “it’s very rare” that they agree — which is understandable, considering the difficult situations they’re in, Eyre said.
That was not a factor on the prosecution side. Eyre could dive right in; he argued cases at the North Dakota Supreme Court and assisted senior attorneys with a few different trials, all before graduating from law school.
“I really fell in love with the job,” Eyre said. “… It was a great learning experience.”
In the spring of 2013, Tom Falck — a longtime prosecutor — announced his retirement, and Eyre was hired as his replacement.
Eyre was first assigned to involuntary commitment cases for people who were considered a danger to themselves or others due to mental health or chemical dependency issues. He later moved to the domestic violence caseload, followed by the drug and property crimes team.
He became the personal crimes team leader in 2019, prosecuting cases of violent crimes and crimes against children.
In 2023, Eyre was recognized by the Community Violence Intervention Center (CVIC) as the Jim Vigness Peacemaker of the Year for handling domestic violence and sexual assault cases “with the utmost care and consideration,” according to Herald coverage.
Eyre took the lead on developing a formal process and form that allowed sexual assault victims to more easily request defendants be tested for sexually transmitted infections, the Herald reported. He collaborated with CVIC staff and took extra steps to meet victims’ needs.
Eyre was also credited at the time for making victims aware of their rights, updating them on a criminal case progress and giving them a voice in the justice system.
After more than a decade as an assistant’s state’s attorney — a career he loved — Eyre considered what to do next.
He said he didn’t pursue a law career thinking he’d eventually take on the role of judge, but the time came for a new challenge. Having covered everything from driving under the influence cases to murders — most recently covering the trial of Nicholas Jon Narveson, a Grand Forks man sentenced in August to serve 40 years for fatally shooting a man in a downtown bar — Eyre felt he’d accomplished everything he could in the role of prosecutor.
“I still wanted to be in the courtroom all the time, but I wanted to see some different types of cases,” Eyre said.
Judgeship allows him to see everything, he said, from family law, to guardianships, to civil and criminal matters.
“I love the variety,” Eyre said. “It is certainly a steep learning curve for me, but I’m enjoying getting to see different areas of the law.”
Presiding Judge Donald Hager said Eyre came in without a civil background, but has been very willing to pick up cases and learn as much as possible.
This was his second time applying for a judge position in the Northeast Central Judicial District, which includes Grand Forks and Nelson counties. The other five judges in the district are Hager, most recently re-elected this year; Judge Jason McCarthy, appointed in 2016; Judge Jay Knudson, appointed in 2017; Judge Kristi Pettit Venhuizen, appointed in 2023; and Judge Theodore Sandberg, appointed in 2024.
Both times he applied, Eyre said, there was “an incredibly deep and competitive pool of applicants.”
The first round of the application process is perhaps the most intimidating, because that’s when a survey goes out to all members of the State Bar Association of North Dakota. Members can anonymously answer with what they think about the candidates.
“It’s scary,” Eyre said.
But it gives an opportunity for those the candidates work alongside, as well as those they argue against, to share their professional experiences. If a prosecutor is rude, overly aggressive and fails to see the other side, that could affect their ability to serve as a judge, who most certainly needs to see both sides to make a fair decision, Eyre said.
During the application process, he said he got multiple letters of support from local defense attorneys he’s practiced against. Eyre said he believes that support shows that although he spent years as a prosecutor, he’s not close-minded.
“I’ve never been a prosecution crusader who goes to the mat on every little issue, and I think that mindset helped show that I’d be able to see the other side’s position,” Eyre said.
He doesn’t think anybody can put their experiences fully aside and come to the bench as a blank slate, but once they become a judge, they have to remember the importance of being fair and impartial.
“Even if you eventually decide against somebody, the most important thing is to give all sides the opportunity to be heard,” Eyre said.
Thelen, his predecessor, was excellent at that, Eyre said. Even when he ruled against someone, they knew their argument was heard and truly considered.
Hager said he believes the most important skill for a judge is their ability to listen, which he believes Eyre handles well.
“I think he’s very considerate,” Hager said.
He also may have the district’s record for the quickest transition into presiding over a jury trial, Hager said. Within three days of becoming a judge, Eyre oversaw a criminal drug trial.
“I was willing to tell him to reschedule it … or give it to somebody else,” Hager said. “He’s the one who volunteered for it. He was ready.”
He said Eyre is a good family man who is involved in the community and knows what’s important to its members. He’s well versed in the law, with good research and written skills that will help with the procedural aspects of judgeship.
Assistant Grand Forks County State’s Attorney Rachel Egstad replaced Eyre as lead attorney on the personal crimes team. An assistant attorney was hired from out of state and is expected to officially start around the beginning of October. This will bring the department back up to 12 prosecutors, Wamstad said.
