North Central Judicial District Judge Douglas Mattson has announced he will retire effective June 1.

Currently, he is the longest serving judge in the North Central Judicial District and the second longest serving judge in the state.

According to an announcement on the state court website, Mattson sent a letter to Gov. Kelly Armstrong and Chief Justice Jon Jensen signaling his intent to retire, saying, “To the voters who allowed me to serve, I truly thank you. It has been a humbling honor.”

Mattson, a native of Minot, served in the North Dakota House of Representatives from 1978-1982. He received his Juris Doctor from the University of North Dakota School of Law in 1985 and worked for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and Sen. Mark Andrews in Washington, D.C., from 1985-1986. Mattson worked in private legal practice in MInot from 1987-1990 and was Ward County State’s Attorney from 1990 until he was elected to the judgeship in 2002.

Mattson was subsequently re-elected in 2008, 2014 and 2020.