Former Lawmaker Campaigning Outside of Her District

(Photo by Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)

(North Dakota Monitor) – Former North Dakota state senator Judy Estenson lives in District 9 but is running for state Senate in District 15, citing uncertainty around a redistricting decision.

Estenson of Warwick is a former Republican lawmaker for District 15, but the district boundaries changed in 2023 as a result of a voting rights lawsuit. That case, brought by the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa and the Spirit Lake Nation, led to a 2023 ruling by a federal judge that imposed new district maps, shifting Estenson into District 9.

An appeals court overturned Welte’s ruling last year, a decision the tribes have since asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review. The high court has not decided whether it will hear the lawsuit.

Estenson, who lost a special election to represent District 9 in 2024, said she’s hopeful the U.S. Supreme Court will uphold the appeals court ruling, which would make her a District 15 resident.