The chief justice of the North Dakota Supreme Court has been given the state’s highest honor.
Gerald Vandewalle was presented with the Theodore Roosevelt Rough Rider award during a joint session of the North Dakota Legislature. Gov. Jack Dalrymple made the presentation.
"When I met with Jerry, and told him I wanted to bestow the state's highest honor on him, he very hmbly replied, 'Well, I am not deserving of it, but I will accept it,'" said Dalrymple.
Vandewalle has served on the Supreme Court bench since 1978. He has been chief justice since 1993. He has a national reputation, and has served on a number of national committees and councils. He chaired the National Chief Justices’ Association in the early 2000s.
"As Tip O'Neill, that consummate politician once said, 'All Politics is local,'" said South Dakota Chief Justice David Gilbertson. "As such, Chief Justice Vandewalle takes the North Dakota point of view and presents it on a national stage. The message has been well-received."
Vandewalle’s portrait will hang in the state Capitol’s Rough Rider Hall of Fame. He is the 41st person to receive the award.
