North Dakota – Marsy's Law

Marsy’s Law for North Dakota began in 2015 when a committee gathered to draft language for a potential constitutional ballot measure to elevate and strengthen crime victims’ rights. Crime victims, state’s attorneys, law enforcement and private citizens crafted the proposal and an official sponsoring committee of 29 North Dakotans was formed, including state legislators and victim advocates, among others. The ballot language was submitted to the North Dakota Secretary of State’s Office on December 15th, and the committee received approval to begin collecting signatures on December 22nd. State law requires that constitutional initiated measures earn signatures equal to a 4 percent of the resident population of the state at the last federal decennial census, meaning no less than 26,904 signatures needed to be gathered by July 11, 2016. On May 10, 2016, the North Dakota sponsoring committee submitted more than 44,000 signatures in support of placing the measure on the ballot, and it was confirmed by Secretary Jaeger on June 13.

We are grateful to North Dakota chair, Kathleen Wrigley, for her tireless advocacy for crime victims’ rights. We also deeply appreciate the North Dakota Sheriffs & Deputies Association and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Lynn E. Crooks for their public endorsements of Marsy’s Law for North Dakota, and the countless individuals across the state whose volunteer efforts made a world of difference.

Most importantly, we are indebted to the numerous crime victims all across North Dakota who bravely stepped forward to share their stories of neglect within the criminal justice system. It was their voices that proved the need for stronger crime victims’ rights in our state. We thank you.

Marsha Lembke,
State Director of
Marsy’s Law for North Dakota