Judges & Staff
The Municipal Judge is elected to a four-year term. The judge must be licensed to practice law and be a resident of the City of Fargo. Vacancies that occur between elections are filled by appointment by the Board of City Commissioners.
Fargo also has alternate municipal judges as recommended by the court and appointed by the City Commission. The current judge is Stephen Dawson. Our alternate judge is Scott Diamond.
Municipal Court Judge
Judge Steve Dawson was elected Municipal Court Judge in 2012. He served as an alternate Municipal Court Judge from 2005 - 2012.
Dawson received an undergraduate degree from NDSU in 1985 and a law degree from UND law school in 1988. Following law school he worked as a prosecutor for the Cass County States Attorney's Office and later, the City of Fargo.
In addition to serving as Municipal Court Judge, he operates Dawson Law Office and Mediation Center in south Fargo, practicing primarily in the area of family law mediation.
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Alternate Municipal Court Judge
Scott Diamond was appointed as an alternate Municipal Court Judge on May 16, 2013. Diamond received his undergraduate degree from the University of North Dakota in 1998 and his law degree from the University of North Dakota law school in 2001.
Following law school, he worked in private practice in Grand Forks, North Dakota and Providence, Rhode Island. In 2008, he began working for the City of Fargo, as an Assistant City Attorney and a City Prosecutor. In 2012, he opened Diamond Law Firm, with an emphasis on civil litigation.
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The Clerk of Court
The Clerk of Court is responsible for the administration of the clerk's office and court records. Shiloh Hanson, the Clerk of Court, is assisted by the Deputy Clerk of Court and several support staff. The staff provides information to assist the public in all cases filed in Municipal Court but cannot provide legal advice.
Contact the Clerk of Court's Office by email to ask questions. Court appearances may only be rescheduled by contacting the Clerk of Court's office in person or by telephone.
