► U.S. Judge Daniel Hovland of North Dakota: One of the Good Guys

The state of North Dakota provided Daniel L. Hovland with a law license in 1979 after he graduated from the University of North Dakota School of Law.

In one matter, Judge Hovland was assigned to preside over a case of the Center for Reproductive Rights on behalf of the Red River Women’s Clinic and the American Medical Association vs. the State of North Dakota.

At issue before Judge Hovland was a North Dakota law that required doctors to tell patients they could reverse their “medicated abortion if they acted quickly and underwent what can best be described as a sham medical treatment.

In issuing an order blocking the law, Judge Hovland said in part:

• “State lawmakers should not be mandating unproven medical treatments.”
• “The provisions of the bill go far beyond any informed consents laws addressed by the U.S. Supreme Court, Eighth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals “or other courts to date.”

It should be noted that Judge Hovland was nominated for a judgeship by former President George W. Bush in 2002 and confirmed by the Senate the same year.

Kudos to Judge Hovland for having the courage and fortitude to tell the North Dakota Legislature that it cannot intervene in a woman’s right to obtain the medical treatment she chooses.

As we speak (ca. November 2019), Judge Hovland continues to sit as a United States District Court judge in Bismarck, North Dakota.