Scott Diamond, a judicial referee from Fargo, has been appointed by Governor Kelly Armstrong to fill an open judgeship in the East Central Judicial District. The appointment is set to take effect on February 1.
Diamond’s legal experience includes five years as a city prosecutor in Fargo from 2008 to 2013, where he handled violations of city ordinances from initial police report review through case resolution. He also spent four years working as an assistant city solicitor in Lincoln, Rhode Island. From 2013 to 2023, Diamond served as an alternate municipal court judge for both Fargo and West Fargo and operated his own law firm focused primarily on representing defendants before the North Dakota Supreme Court. Since 2023, he has worked as a judicial referee for the East Central Judicial District, presiding over domestic relations cases, evictions, small claims matters, and traffic offenses.
Diamond began his legal career at Rosenquist Law Firm in Grand Forks and Larimore. He holds both bachelor’s and law degrees from the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks and graduated from the UND School of Law in 2001. His professional service includes terms as president of the Cass County Bar Association and membership with the North Dakota Municipal Judges Association. He has contributed to local governance through roles such as serving on the West Fargo Planning and Zoning Commission between 2013 and 2018. Currently, he is a board member for the State Bar Association’s Gavel Editorial Board.
The vacancy was created following Judge Nick Chase’s resignation on October 10 after being appointed U.S. Attorney for the District of North Dakota. Three attorneys were considered finalists for this position based in Fargo.
The East Central Judicial District encompasses Cass, Steele, and Traill counties.
