North Dakota Supreme Court

What North Dakota Supreme Court does

The North Dakota Supreme Court is the constitutionally established highest judicial body of the State of North Dakota, operating since 1889 (with roots in the 1861 Dakota Territory Supreme Court). It administers a unified three-tier court system — Supreme Court, District Court, and Municipal Courts — spanning 53 counties organized into 8 judicial districts and 4 administrative units. The court is staffed by 5 justices (10-year nonpartisan elected terms), 55 district judges, and 5 judicial referees, with Chief Justice Lisa K. Fair McEvers serving as administrative head and Sally A. Holewa as State Court Administrator.

The court's technology portfolio is anchored by the North Dakota Appellate Case System, launched April 8, 2024, providing public access to case search, party search, calendar search, document search, and publication search. E-filing is mandatory for attorneys and runs on Tyler Technologies' OfsWeb platform (northdakota.tylertech.cloud) with multi-factor authentication and nCourt payment processing. Supporting services include a District Court Case Search & Payment portal, a Supreme Court Opinions search supporting Boolean and proximity operators, an Attorney/Lawyer Search directory, and an online Jury Service Portal (eresponse.ndcourts.gov). Live webcasting of oral arguments occurs via a dedicated YouTube channel, with recordings archived since January 1, 2001.

The court's revenue model is non-commercial: it is primarily funded through state biennial appropriations, supplemented by transaction-based fees including filing fees (processed via nCourt), court record search fees ($10 per name and kind of record), and copying fees ($0.10 per page as of July 1, 2025). Customer segments include the General Public, Licensed Attorneys, and the Jury Pool, served through both digital self-serve channels and 53 physical clerk of court offices. Partnerships span the State Bar Association of North Dakota, the State Board of Law Examiners (bar admission), the Disciplinary Board (attorney discipline), and the Judicial Conduct Commission (judicial oversight).

Name

North Dakota Supreme Court

Legal name

North Dakota Supreme Court

Website

https://ndcourts.gov

Company type

Public

Founded year

1861

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The North Dakota Supreme Court is the state's highest court, adjudicating appeals and administering a unified three-tier court system across 53 counties. It serves citizens, attorneys, and jurors through digital portals, mandatory e-filing, public case search, and bar admission services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

State Judicial Services

NAICS

Courts (92211), Courts (922110)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Judicial Courts & Court Administration (BPAIAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

State/Provincial Courts & Judicial Administration (BPAIABAE), Court Services & Operations (Clerks, Records, Jury, Interpreters) (BPAIAFAH)

Keywords

• Judicial services
• Court administration
• Appellate adjudication
• Attorney licensing
• Electronic filing

Headquarters

HQ city

Bismarck

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Filing Fees: The court collects filing fees for new matters filed with the Supreme Court. Fees are paid online through the nCourt processing system and displayed as 'nCourt*ND Supreme Court' on banking statements. Filing fee waivers are available based on indigency.
2. Jury Service Compensation: Jurors receive compensation for service: $50 for the first half day and $100 for each full day thereafter, plus mileage reimbursement at the IRS standard rate.
3. Court Record Fees: Fees for written record searches from clerks of court ($10 per name and kind of record), copying records ($0.10 per page as of July 1, 2025), and transcript/audio recording purchases.
4. Government Funding: District courts are funded by the state of North Dakota. The unified judicial system budget is developed biennially and submitted through administrative channels.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The North Dakota Supreme Court serves as the highest judicial body in the state, adjudicating appeals, issuing written opinions, and administering the unified North Dakota Court System across three tiers (Supreme Court, District Courts, Municipal Courts). It regulates the practice of law through bar examination administration, attorney licensing, and disciplinary oversight, while providing public access to court records, e-filing services, jury administration, and legal self-help resources. The court delivers these services through a combination of physical courthouse locations in all 53 counties and digital platforms including the Appellate Case System and Tyler Technologies-powered e-filing portal.

Product overview

The North Dakota Court System is a unified judicial system providing three levels of court (Supreme Court, District Court, and Municipal Courts) across 53 counties. The technology portfolio consists of the North Dakota Appellate Case System/Public Portal as the central case management platform (powered by Tyler Technologies), enabling public case search, e-filing for attorneys, and Supreme Court Opinions search. Supporting services include District Court Case Search & Payment Processing, Attorney/Lawyer Search directory, Jury Service Portal for juror qualification and management, District Court E-Filing Resources, and educational outreach through the 'Taking the Court to Schools' program. Specialty Courts provide alternative dispute resolution and treatment court programs. The court also administers bar examination and attorney licensing through the State Board of Law Examiners. E-filing uses multi-factor authentication with payment processing via nCourt. Live streaming of oral arguments is available through YouTube.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• North Dakota Appellate Case System (Public Portal) Statewide case management system for appellate records providing public access to case search, party search, calendar search, document search, and publication search functionality. Launched April 8, 2024.
• Supreme Court E-Filing Portal

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

AI capability2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• State Bar Association of North DakotacoreOthersThe State Bar Association of N.D. (sband.org) is referenced as an online resource link. The court system collaborates with the bar association on attorney standards, CLE requirements, and professional conduct matters through the Joint Committee on Attorney Standards and the Disciplinary Board.
• State Board of Law ExaminerscoreOthersEstablished in 1905, the Board of Law Examiners works under the authority of the North Dakota Supreme Court to administer bar examinations, attorney admission, and licensing. The Clerk of the Supreme Court serves as Secretary-Treasurer.
• Office of Disciplinary CounselcoreOthersOperates under the authority of the Supreme Court's Disciplinary Board to investigate and act on complaints of unethical conduct by attorneys, enforcing the Rules of Professional Conduct.
• Judicial Conduct CommissioncoreOthersEstablished in 1975 to receive, evaluate, and investigate complaints against judges. Consists of four non-lawyers, two judges, and one lawyer member appointed from various sources.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• U.S. Supreme Court: Federal apex court with appellate jurisdiction; not a direct competitor but operates the same essential function (highest appellate review, opinion publication) at federal level and provides a structural benchmark for state supreme courts.

Direct peers

• Montana Judicial Branch: Another neighboring rural state with a Supreme Court as the highest appellate body, serving a similarly dispersed population with limited judicial density. Directly comparable in scale and operational challenges.
• Minnesota Judicial Branch: Operates Minnesota's unified state court system including a Supreme Court with appellate jurisdiction and a comparable three-tier structure (Supreme, Appellate, District). Most analogous neighboring state peer given similar Midwest, three-tier unified court model.
• Wisconsin Court System: Midwest state with a Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, and Circuit Courts. Comparable in operating a unified, state-funded court system with public electronic access to opinions and case records.
• Iowa Judicial Branch: Neighboring Midwest state with a Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, and District Courts. Similar in unified structure, public access features, and rural judicial administration model.
• South Dakota Unified Judicial System: Neighboring rural state's unified judicial branch with a Supreme Court, Circuit Courts, and similar e-filing and public access infrastructure. Closely comparable given similar small-state scale and rural geography.

Others

• Tyler Technologies: Technology vendor that powers the North Dakota e-filing platform (northdakota.tylertech.cloud) and the new Appellate Case System. Comparable as the enabling infrastructure provider to similar state supreme courts nationwide.
• National Center for State Courts: Non-profit that provides research, consulting, and technology guidance to all state court systems including North Dakota. Adjacent industry body that informs best practices and standards across comparable court entities.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCdGGOLvrwBQq1TzPrnJfHOQ

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about North Dakota Supreme Court