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Fargo and North Dakota criminal defense guide

Cass County Courthouse and District Court Guide

Prepare for a criminal-court appearance at the Cass County Courthouse in Fargo with current official location, hours, parking, records, judges, and courtroom information.

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Cass County District Court location

The Cass County Courthouse is at 211 9th Street South, Fargo, ND 58103. The North Dakota Court System identifies it as part of the East Central Judicial District. The public entrance is on the east side. Official information describes public parking near 9th Street and 3rd Avenue, security at entry, the Clerk of District Court on the second floor, and the State’s Attorney’s Office on the fourth floor.

Clerk’s office
701-451-6900
Jury reporting
701-451-6901
General hours
Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Judicial district
East Central Judicial District

Judges and assignments

The judicial roster and case assignments can change. The official North Dakota Court System currently lists Fargo chambers for judges including Susan Bailey, Reid A. Brady, Cherie L. Clark, Constance L. Cleveland, Scott O. Diamond, Stephanie Hayden, Stephannie N. Stiel, Tristan J. Van de Streek, and Ryan Younggren. Your docket—not a general roster—identifies the judge assigned to your case.

Do not contact a judge or chambers to discuss your facts. Questions about scheduling and filing normally go through the clerk or your lawyer, subject to court rules.

Before you enter

  • Confirm the location and time shown on your newest notice.
  • Allow time for parking and courthouse security.
  • Silence electronic devices; follow posted restrictions.
  • Bring identification and the paperwork your lawyer asked you to bring.
  • Do not discuss case facts in hallways, elevators, or public waiting areas.

Records and calendars

North Dakota provides official public-search and calendar resources, but not every record is public and online entries may not explain what happened at a hearing. Use the case number and verify important dates with counsel or the clerk.

Verify current Cass County court information through the North Dakota Court System.

Prepare for a criminal-court appearance at the Cass County Courthouse in Fargo with current official location, hours, parking, records, judges, and courtroom information.

Fargo and West Fargo focus: Your court papers, alleged offense date, exact statutory subsection, deadlines, and original evidence control. Cass County procedures and current official North Dakota sources should be verified before you act.

Court, judges, calendars, and records in Cass County

Court route · Fargo, West Fargo, and the Red River metro

Before walking into the courthouse in Cass County

Cass County cases can involve several local, state, campus, transit, or federal agencies within one metro, and the agency name may determine where critical evidence is stored.

01

Confirm the destination

The Cass County Courthouse is the district-court anchor, but the complaint, docket, and notice must still be checked for the correct courtroom and appearance method.

02

Plan the appearance

Downtown parking, construction, event traffic, and winter conditions should be considered before the appearance day.

03

Trace the official record

Fargo Police, West Fargo Police, the sheriff, Highway Patrol, campus police, and federal partners can each create a distinct dispatch, video, property, or digital record trail.

How to confirm the right appearance

Start with the newest filed hearing notice. Confirm the file number, county, date, time, judge or calendar, courtroom, street address, and whether the appearance is in person, remote, or hybrid. Do not assume a prior hearing used the same room or method. If the online calendar appears different, contact court administration or counsel rather than choosing one source on your own.

Fargo-area investigations may involve Fargo Police, West Fargo Police, the Cass County Sheriff, Highway Patrol, campus police, or federal agents. The complaint and court caption identify the actual prosecuting authority and forum.

Arrival checklist

  • Plan time for parking, weather, building entry, and security screening.
  • Bring the hearing notice and government identification; ask counsel before bringing evidence or devices.
  • Do not bring prohibited items. Review current building and remote-hearing rules on the official court page.
  • Tell counsel immediately about disability access, interpreter needs, transportation problems, or a genuine emergency.
Source-dated roster

East Central Judicial District judicial officers

This list is a research aid, not an assignment forecast. Confirm the current official roster and the actual docket.

  • Scott O. Diamond
  • Ryan Younggren
  • Stephanie Hayden
  • Constance L. Cleveland
  • Nicholas W. Chase
  • Reid A. Brady
  • Tristan J. Van de Streek
  • Cherie L. Clark
  • Wade L. Webb
  • Stephannie N. Stiel
  • Thomas R. Olson
  • Presiding Judge Steven E. McCullough
  • Steven L. Marquart

Live source: East Central Judicial District roster.

Reading the public docket without guessing

A docket can show charges, filings, counsel, hearings, orders, and disposition entries, but abbreviations and event labels do not explain strategy or prove what occurred. Protected documents may not be visible. A register-of-actions entry should be compared with the actual filed document and any oral ruling.

Documents worth downloading or requesting

  • Complaint or citation and any amended charging document.
  • Probable-cause statement, warrant, and return when publicly available.
  • Release or bond order, no-contact order, and later modifications.
  • Hearing notices, scheduling orders, motion papers, and written rulings.
  • Disposition, sentencing order, restitution order, and probation conditions.

What judges, clerks, and lawyers each do

The judge decides legal issues and manages the courtroom. Court administration processes filings, schedules, records, and payments within its authority. The prosecutor represents the government. Defense counsel protects the accused person’s legal interests. Probation or pretrial staff may supervise conditions and prepare reports but do not replace counsel. Keeping those roles separate prevents a procedural question from turning into an unprotected case discussion.

Remote hearings, continuances, and missed appearances

A video link should come from the court or a verified notice. Do not use an old link from a prior hearing, forward a private meeting link publicly, or assume a remote appearance is allowed because another calendar was remote. Join early from a quiet place with a stable connection, working camera and microphone, and the ability to view documents privately with counsel.

A work conflict, travel distance, weather concern, illness, childcare problem, or transportation issue does not automatically continue a hearing. Contact counsel as soon as the problem is known. Only the court can authorize a continuance, and a request is not granted until the court says it is.

If an appearance may have been missed, do not wait for a mailed notice or rely on a generic docket label. Confirm the file status, whether a warrant or new hearing exists, and what lawful step counsel recommends. A prompt, accurate response is usually more useful than guessing.

Preparing documents for counsel—not the courtroom

Organize the complaint, notices, release orders, messages, photographs, videos, receipts, medical or employment records, and witness information for confidential review. Keep originals intact and make working copies. Do not hand a judge documents outside the filing and evidence rules, contact a represented party directly, or bring a witness to court without coordinating strategy.

A useful index records the item, date, source, what it may show, and whether the original metadata is preserved. For Cass County proceedings, also note which agency created the item and which office likely maintains it. That distinction can determine where a preservation request or lawful records request must go.

Preparing for court

How You can use the court information on this page

Cass County Court, Judges, Calendar, and Records is designed to help you verify the actual court file, assigned judicial officer, calendar, location, and current appearance instructions. You can use those sources to prepare for the next event, but You should not ask a clerk or a public docket to answer a legal-strategy question they cannot answer. The docket shows what has been filed; it does not show the complete discovery, private investigation, or defense analysis.

Before a hearing, You should collect the complaint, notices, release conditions, prior orders, and the most recent docket entries in one file. Your lawyer can then identify what the hearing is for, what decision may be made, what material should be reviewed beforehand, and what should not be filed or discussed without a strategic reason. That preparation is different for an initial appearance, motion hearing, pretrial conference, plea, trial, or sentencing.

What to have ready when we talk

For Cass County Court, Judges, Calendar, and Records, have the complaint or citation, case number, next court date, release paperwork, the investigating agency, custody status if applicable, and a short private chronology. Tell your lawyer which practical problem is most urgent. Your lawyer can then separate the local logistical question from the legal issue and explain what should happen next.

Official sources

Reviewed: September 19, 2026. Verify live sources before relying on logistics or personnel.

Current-law check:

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