--- title: "Peter David Welte | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/peter-d-welte" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-09" --- # Peter David Welte U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota · U.S. District Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota - State: North Dakota - Role: U.S. District Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-10-02 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Chief Judge, District Court, D. North Dakota, 2019-present - The Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of North Dakota, a position he has held since November 11, 2019 - Nominated by President Donald J. Trump on January 16, 2019, to replace Judge Ralph R. Erickson, who had been elevated to the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals - State's attorney, Grand Forks County, North Dakota, 2003-2015 - Assistant state's attorney, Grand Forks County, North Dakota, 1999-2003 - State's attorney, Steele County, North Dakota, 1998-2003 ### Education - with distinction — University of North Dakota — 1997 - University of North Dakota School of Law — J.D. (1997) - North Dakota State University-Main Campus — B.A. (1989) - North Dakota State University — B.S. (1989) ### Additional information - Private practice, Grand Forks, North Dakota, 1997-1999, 2015-2019 - Adjunct instructor, University of North Dakota School of Law, 2004-2018 - City attorney, Larimore, North Dakota, 1997-2003 - Born December 21, 1965, in New Britain, Connecticut. - Date of birth: 1965-12-21 - He has a long-standing background in public prosecution and legal practice in North Dakota before his federal appointment - Birth place: New Britain, CT ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### presentation procedure Scope: courtwide Courtwide presentation-related guidance applies to this judge. Evidence excerpt: Individuals leaving a courtroom while court is in session or during a recess may not loiter in the halls and must abide by this rule to reenter. (C) ELECTRONIC DEVICES Devices are allowed in the courthouse, including courtrooms. In a courtroom, devices must be turned off or muted, and authorized use of a device must… [Local_Rules.pdf](https://www.ndd.uscourts.gov/lci/Local_Rules.pdf) Source checked: 2026-07-24 ### civil remote testimony Scope: courtwide In federal district-court civil proceedings, testimony is ordinarily taken in open court; remote contemporaneous testimony requires good cause in compelling circumstances and appropriate safeguards. Evidence excerpt: For good cause in compelling circumstances and with appropriate safeguards, the court may permit testimony in open court by contemporaneous transmission from a different location. [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### criminal recording and broadcasting Scope: courtwide Federal district courts may not permit courtroom photography or broadcasting during criminal judicial proceedings unless a statute or another federal rule provides an exception. Evidence excerpt: Except as otherwise provided by a statute or these rules, the court must not permit the taking of photographs in the courtroom during judicial proceedings or the broadcasting of judicial proceedings from the courtroom. [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.fjc.gov/node/6831146) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/6831146) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/6831146) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/14457/peter-david-welte/) - [Local_Rules.pdf](https://www.ndd.uscourts.gov/lci/Local_Rules.pdf) - [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) - [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) - [Wikidata: Peter D. Welte](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q60665695) - [Judge Peter David Welte](https://www.fjc.gov/node/6831146) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/14457/peter-david-welte/) - [Local_Rules.pdf](https://www.ndd.uscourts.gov/lci/Local_Rules.pdf) - [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) - [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) - [Wikidata: Peter D. Welte](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q60665695) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/peter-d-welte", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/peter-d-welte", "name": "Peter David Welte | KnowJudges", "description": "Peter David Welte, U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota. 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Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-civil-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27. - [Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, December 1, 2025](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-8721a344fececced2257fe1d) — Criminal proceedings in United States District Courts; this conservative mapping does not distribute appellate-specific provisions to appellate judges. Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-criminal-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27.