The Good Life – March-April 2019

for the job. Something about the gravitas
of the job and the deference paid to
the position makes it seem above the
comparatively petty popularity contest that
is today’s politics. Or perhaps it’s simply
the notion of “winning” a seat on the bench
that feels… well, wrong.
"People were, for the most part, shocked
that a judicial candidate came and knocked
on their door," Marquart said. "They were
very surprised by it, and I had some
remarkable experiences. Once, I knocked
on a door, a kid answered and said ‘Oh,
come in! I'm studying and I've got this
business law question, can you help me?'
So I'm helping with that, his parents finally
come in and start showing me pictures
from their family vacation. I learned going
door-to-door you can multiply by a factor of
ten the amount of people you reach."
Watching Marquart tell that story with
a smile on his face, reliving the whole
experience from fifteen years ago — he
was first elected to the court in 2004 — it
was easy to see why he continues to be
reelected. He’s a natural public servant
with an instinct to help out and do right.
On the Job: Then & Now
Now well into his third six-year term as a
District Court Judge, Marquart has seen
the court change in ways both obvious and
subtle. To the observing public, the most
obvious change has been a steady rise in
the number of cases being heard.
“We’ve gotten busier and busier,” Marquart
said matter of factly. “The last hearing
week, I had 101 arraignments in one week.
These are new cases… 101. That’s a lot of
people to see in one week.”
Asked why the uptick in cases in recent
years, Marquart said it’s a combination
of factors. He credits the professionalism
of the police force in their efforts to take
more criminals off the streets, but he also
recognizes it’s the simple mathematics of a
growing population.
“Fargo is getting bigger; I get that,”
Marquart said, taking a meaningful
pause before continuing. “One thing I
want to dispel, though… we’ve had a lot of
immigrants come into this country, and I
think a lot of people out there think that
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