BISMARCK, N.D. - Gov. Kelly Armstrong today appointed former prosecutor and current Judicial Referee Scott Diamond of Fargo to an open judgeship in the East Central Judicial District, effective Feb. 1.

Diamond served five years as a city prosecutor in Fargo from 2008 to 2013, prosecuting violations of city ordinances from pre-charge review of police reports to conclusion through a plea or trial, and also spent four years as an assistant city solicitor for Lincoln, Rhode Island. From 2013 to 2023 he served as an alternate municipal court judge for the cities of Fargo and West Fargo, while also operating Diamond Law Firm in Fargo, primarily representing criminally convicted defendants before the North Dakota Supreme Court. He has served as a judicial referee for the East Central Judicial District since 2023, presiding over cases involving domestic relations, evictions, small claims and traffic offenses. Diamond began his 24-year legal career as an associate attorney for the Rosenquist Law Firm in Grand Forks and Larimore.

A native of Grand Forks, Diamond earned his bachelor's degree from the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks and his law degree from the UND School of Law in 2001. He is a past president of the Cass County Bar Association and a past member of the North Dakota Municipal Judges Association. He also served on the West Fargo Planning and Zoning Commission from 2013 to 2018 and is a current board member and contributor to the State Bar Association's Gavel Editorial Board.

The East Central Judicial District judgeship vacancy was created by the Oct. 10 resignation of Judge Nick Chase, who was appointed U.S. Attorney for the District of North Dakota. Three attorneys were named as finalists for the judgeship, which is chambered in Fargo.

The East Central Judicial District covers Cass, Steele and Traill counties.