Southeast Central Judicial District Court Judge Jay A. Schmitz has announced he will retire October 3, 2026.
In a letter dated August 31, 2026 to Chief Justice Lisa Fair McEvers, Governor Kelly Armstrong noted that Judge Schmitz had notified him in a letter dated August 28, 2026 of his intent to retire on October 3, 2026. The letter from the governor may be viewed here: Download
Judge Schmitz was first elected in 2010 as District Court Judge for the Southeast Judicial District #6, located in Valley City, North Dakota. Born in 1962 in Pierre, South Dakota, Judge Schmitz was raised on a cattle ranch near Verona, North Dakota. He graduated from Oakes High School in 1980 and received his Bachelor of Administration in Political Science from Moorhead State University in 1985. He received his Juris Doctor from Southwestern University School of Law in Los Angeles, California, in 1989 and was admitted to the North Dakota State Bar on May 1, 2000.
After graduation, Judge Schmitz worked in private legal practice in Los Angeles, CA from 1989-1995. After moving back to North Dakota, he worked in private legal practice in Oakes, N.D. from 2000-2002. He served as the Stutsman County Chief Assistant State's Attorney in Jamestown, N.D. from 2003-2010.
