Drew Wrigley, the North Dakota Attorney General, visited the University of North Dakota School of Law to speak to the Federalist Society on Thursday, Apr. 3.
The Federalist Society is a student organization at the UND School of Law. The organization is a collective of law students interested in the present state of legal order. While members of this society may hold opposing viewpoints, they operate under a few common beliefs: “the state exists to preserve freedom, that the separation of governmental powers is central to our Constitution, and that it is emphatically the province and duty of the judiciary to say what the law is, not what it should be” (Student Organizations, 2025).
At 12 p.m., Wrigley began delivering his speech surrounding various topics such as Title IV, Truth in Sentencing or Senate Bill 2128, civic participation, and more.
During his speech, Wrigley drew from his experiences. From North Dakotan roots, Wrigley attended UND to study economics and philosophy before obtaining his law degree from American University, Washington College of Law, located in Washington, DC. After graduating, Wrigley served as an Assistant District Attorney in Philadelphia, PA, worked as North Dakota’s United States Attorney, was Lieutenant Governor under former Governor Dalrymple, and more until he was elected to be the North Dakota Attorney General in 2022.
“I ran for Attorney General, starting in 2021,” Wrigley said, as his speech progressed. “I was going around the state, talking to different groups, and one of the things I sensed coming into play, this is the year all of you will be going into, is an era of new federalism.”
With renewed federalism, Wrigley explains that state’s opinions carry more weight.
“They want to know what do the states think on this, a lot of power reserve for the states,” Wrigley said.
As the speech continued, Wrigley urged listeners to engage civically.
“I do not care what your political views are, do something,” Wrigley said. “Vote, petition your government for change, point out the truth of situations. Even if it’s the president of your party, don’t allow them to abuse the Constitution. There’s not much that’s sacred anymore.”
For more speaking engagements from figures in North Dakota’s governmental bodies at UND, Kelly Armstrong, North Dakota’s Governor, will deliver a speech addressing North Dakota’s critical issues and take questions from the audience. The event, titled “A Vision for North Dakota with Governor Kelly Armstrong,” will occur at the large ballroom of the Memorial Union on Wednesday, Apr. 16, at 7 p.m.
Dylan Campbell is a Dakota Student Section Editor. He can be reached at [email protected].
