News Releases for October 2009
October 21, 2009
For further information, please Contact the Governor's Office
Hoeven Names Merrick To Southeast Judicial District Judgeship
BISMARCK, N.D. – Gov. John Hoeven today named Thomas E. Merrick of Jamestown to the Southeast Judicial District Court, chambered in Jamestown. Judge Merrick’s position is one of two new judicial benches created by the North Dakota Legislature at the request of the Supreme Court in Senate Bill 2121. The second is a position in the Northwest Judicial District, which will be chambered in Minot. The new positions will begin on January 1, 2010.
“Tom is a highly respected attorney and member of his community,” Hoeven said. “He has the judicial temperament, good judgment and high professional standards to serve with distinction on the District Court Bench.”
Merrick worked his way through the University of Toledo in Ohio and earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology in 1972. Upon graduation, he joined the Air Force, was commissioned, and eventually attained the rank of captain. He participated in the evacuation of Saigon, Vietnam in 1975. Following his overseas service, he was stationed at the Grand Forks Air Force Base until 1980, when he entered the University of North Dakota School of Law. Merrick received his Juris Doctor in 1983.
Merrick has been in private practice in Jamestown since his graduation, representing clients in criminal, civil, juvenile, probate and administrative matters. He has served as counsel for the Jamestown Regional Airport Authority for 25 years, and has provided legal counsel to a number of small communities, including Pingree, Gackle and Spiritwood Lake City. He has also represented clients through Legal Services of North Dakota for more than 20 years. He has participated in more than 40 jury trials and 46 appeals to the North Dakota Supreme Court. In 2006, Merrick received the State Bar Association of North Dakota Community Service Award.
Merrick and his wife Pamela have been active in a number of church, civic and nonprofit organizations, including the Immanuel Lutheran Church, the Optimist Club and the Society for American Baseball Research. The couple has three children, sons Rodger and Robert, and daughter Amanda.
