The Hon. James S. Hill is a judge for the North Dakota South Central Judicial District. He was appointed to the bench by former Governor Jack Dalrymple in 2014.
The South Central Judicial District includes Burleigh County, Emmons County, Grant County, McLean County, Mercer County, Morton County, Oliver County, Sioux County, and Sheridan County.
Prior to his appointment, Hill was a partner at Zuger Kirmis & Smith, a law firm based in Bismarck. He specialized in civil litigation and professional malpractice defense. Before that, he spent time as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Office of the United States Attorney for the District of North Dakota (1976 to 1981).
Hill earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Dakota. He then completed a J.D. at the University of North Dakota School of Law in 1974. He is certified as a Civil Trial Specialist by the National Board of Trial Advocacy and the National Board of Civil Practice Advocacy.
After graduating from law school, Hill began his legal career as a law clerk for the Hon. Paul Benson of the United States District Court for the District of North Dakota.
His memberships have included the American Bar Association, the State Bar Association of North Dakota, the South Central Judicial District Bar Association, and the Burleigh County Bar Association. He also sat on the Commission on Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Accounts, the Commission for Continuing Education, and the Judicial Conduct Commission, and he was a founding member of the Bruce M. Van Sickle American Inn of Court.
Raised in Grand Forks, North Dakota, Hill was one of eight children. His mother, Ruth, worked as a home economics teacher, and his father, Bill, operated a clothing store. Hill and his wife, Charlotte, have one daughter. Charlotte is a retired senior high school librarian.