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Experience.
Integrity.
Impartiality.
North Dakota Supreme Court
Justice Douglas A. Bahr
Justice Bahr and his wife Laura have called Bismarck home for the past thirty-four years. It’s where they raised their six children, built lifelong friendships, and became rooted in the community.
Although Justice Bahr was born in Corvallis, Oregon, his childhood took him across multiple states and even overseas. His father’s service in the United States Air Force meant growing up on or near Air Force bases and experiencing many different communities and cultures. Those early experiences shaped Justice Bahr’s appreciation for different cultures and experiences and taught him the value of respect, understanding, and service.
Family remains at the center of Justice Bahr’s life. He enjoys spending time with his wife and traveling to visit his children and grandchildren. His hobbies include working in the yard, biking, reading about American history and religion, and designing Lego creations.
Giving back has always been a priority of Justice Bahr. While his children were young, he coached youth sports, regularly visited their classrooms to read to students, served as a Scout and youth leader, and served in his church. His commitment to service continues today through active volunteer roles in his church, where he currently serves on a church council overseeing ten congregations. He also enjoys serving meals at The Banquet and supporting other local community efforts.
Justice Bahr received his Bachelor of Science Degree from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. He received his degree in Family Science with the intention to pursue graduate work and become a marriage and family therapist. However, his Family Law and American Heritage classes sparked a deep interest in the law that led him to law school instead.
Throughout his life, Justice Bahr has remained committed to family, faith, and community. Those values continue to guide his work and his desire to serve the people of North Dakota.
Meet Justice Bahr
Supreme Court Justice.
Justice Bahr has served as a member of the North Dakota Supreme Court since February 2023. He was appointed by Governor Doug Burgum, who praised Justice Bahr’s broad legal experience and judicial temperament. Governor Burgum stated, “Judge Bahr will make an excellent addition to the North Dakota Supreme Court with his broad legal background in the public and private sectors and his extensive experience at both the state and federal levels. . . . His analytical skills, compassion, high integrity and character, sense of fundamental fairness and deep understanding of the law will serve our state’s highest court well."
Prior to Justice Bahr’s appointment, the State Bar Association of North Dakota (SBAND) conducted a survey of North Dakota lawyers and judges to evaluate the candidates’ professional competence, legal experience, judicial temperament, and integrity. Justice Bahr received the highest ratings of all candidates in every category, reflecting strong confidence in his qualifications from members of the North Dakota legal community.
District Court Judge.
From 2018 to 2023, Justice Bahr served as a district court Judge in the South Central Judicial District. He was appointed to the bench by Governor Burgum in August of 2018, elected by the voters in 2020, and reelected in 2022. As a district court judge, Justice Bahr presided over a wide range of cases. This work deepened his understanding of many areas of the law and strengthened his commitment to fairness, preparation, and careful decision making.
Legal Practice.
Prior to his judicial service, Justice Bahr practiced law in both public and private practice. Twenty-five years of his legal career was dedicated to serving the people of North Dakota as the North Dakota Solicitor General and as an Assistant Attorney General.
Justice Bahr’s private practice included federal and state civil trial practice in areas such as commercial litigation, construction law, insurance coverage, tort and personal injury law, and employment law.
Justice Bahr served as the North Dakota Solicitor General and the director of the Civil Litigation Division of the Office of Attorney General from 1999 to 2016, acting as the State’s chief civil litigator. He served as an assistant attorney general from 1991 to 1998.
As a government attorney, Justice Bahr handled matters both common to and unfamiliar to most private practitioners. He handled tort and personal injury cases, wrongful death claims, slander and defamation actions, motor vehicle accident cases, employment law matters, discrimination cases, construction cases, and contract disputes. He also regularly represented and defended the State of North Dakota, its officials, and its employees in cases involving federal and state constitutional claims, civil rights actions, claims based on federal and state statutory law, prison litigation, and professional licensure. Justice Bahr practiced administrative law and represented the State of North Dakota in multistate litigation, including the national tobacco litigation against the major tobacco companies. Justice Bahr regularly appeared before the North Dakota Supreme Court and the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Prior to his job at the North Dakota Office of Attorney General, Justice Bahr had the privilege of serving as a law clerk for the Honorable Jerry L. Larson of the Iowa Supreme Court, an experience that increased his knowledge of appellate practice and solidified his goal of serving as an appellate judge.
Adjunct Faculty Member.
Justice Bahr served as an adjunct faculty member of Bismarck State College from August 2008 to December 2016, teaching courses in Business Law and State & Local Government.
Committees and Leadership Positions.
Justice Bahr currently serves as Chair of the North Dakota Courts’ Joint Procedure Committee and the North Dakota Courts’ Personnel Policy Board. He is a member of the North Dakota Courts’ Juvenile Policy Board, the Judicial Conference Standing Committee on Legislation, and the Executive Committee of the Judicial Conference.
Justice Bahr has previously served as President of the North Dakota Judges Association, the State Bar Association of North Dakota (SBAND), the SBAND Ethics Committee, and the Association of the Bar of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.
Professional Experience
University of South Dakota School of Law, Vermillion, South Dakota.
Justice Bahr earned his Juris Doctorate from the University of South Dakota School of Law, graduating as a Sterling Honor Graduate (top 10% of class).
Justice Bahr was named to the Dean’s List multiple semesters and received numerous academic honors, including a Book Award for Outstanding Scholastic Achievement and multiple American Jurisprudence Awards for earning the highest grade in the courses of Constitutional Law, Insurance, First Amendment Rights, Trusts & Wills, Legal Profession, and Corporations. He was awarded the First Bank of South Dakota Trusts and Wills Scholarship and twice awarded the Dean Marshall, Alice and Frances McKusick Law Scholarship.
During law school, Justice Bahr was an active contributor to the South Dakota Law Review, where he served as the Production Editor and authored two published works on legal ethics and the right of the press in South Dakota juvenile proceedings.
While pursuing his legal education, Justice Bahr supported his young family by working in the law library, serving as a research assistant, and later serving as a research and teaching assistant.
Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah.
Justice Bahr received his Bachelor of Science Degree from Brigham Young University, majoring in Family Science (pre-professional)
Education
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