Hi, it’s nice to meet you! I’m Dane.

I’m the new advocacy director for the ACLU of North Dakota, and I look forward to getting to know you.

While I’m new to the ACLU, my North Dakota roots run deep. My family’s nucleus is Valley City. Both my parents were raised there and it’s where my grandparents still reside. My parents also have a farm near Pettibone, which has been in our family for over a century. And I have relatives in all corners of the state — including cities such as Glen Ullin, Tioga, Jamestown, Enderlin, and numerous others.

Prior to joining the ACLU, I spent five years as an attorney, first representing average people taking on large companies at a class action law firm in Minnesota and later working as a federal public defender in Fargo. During my time as a public defender, I developed a passion for the Fourth Amendment – which, when courageously interpreted, holds law enforcement officials accountable when they cross the line. That’s what led me to the ACLU.

I started working at the ACLU with a singular focus – to make North Dakota a better place to live for all its residents. That’s a lofty goal, to be sure – and the work I do will take many forms, including lobbying at the state capitol, running grassroots campaigns, and fighting against discriminatory laws and practices of any kind.

But I can’t do it alone. I need your help.

In order to do the work that’s most meaningful to you, I need to hear from you. So please drop me a note and tell me what’s on your mind. What do you want to see from the ACLU of North Dakota? What issues are most important to you? How can I be more responsive to your needs?

I am proud to be a part of the ACLU and to defend and protect the rights of all North Dakotans. I can’t wait to hear from you and begin working together.

Need a poster for your next event? 

Download your own 11x17 two sided version below! We've created an all new modern LGBTQ Pride poster, Trans poster, Bi-sexual poster, and Intersex poster. As well as a fun rainbow themed Lady Liberty option.

If you don't see your preferred poster below, send us an email: ajorgensen@aclu.org 

Note: While the downloads are in PDF form, if you are viewing this page on your device you can screenshot the file once open, and use it as a phone background or Instagram story! 

Civil forfeiture is one of the greatest threats to private property rights in North Dakota. It allows police to seize — and then keep or sell — any property they allege is involved in a crime. Owners don’t even have to be convicted for their cash, cars, or even real estate to be taken away permanently by the government!

This year, North Dakota legislators had the opportunity to substantially reform our state’s civil forfeiture laws through House Bill 1286, and the ACLU supported the bill.

But conference committee amendments, like the one that removed the requirement of conviction, essentially gutted the legislation, eliminating all the protections the bill was supposed to include. The ACLU of North Dakota could no longer support the bill. Still, the North Dakota House and Senate passed the bill.

That’s why we’re asking you to email Governor Burgum and ask him to veto House Bill 1286. We can’t continue to let police departments use forfeiture to benefit their bottom lines, making seizures motivated by profit rather than fighting crime. We need real civil forfeiture reforms – not a bill signed into law that’s a shadow of what it once was.

Decisions made during the biannual sessions of the North Dakota Legislature have a deep and lasting impact on our state’s people and communities. As new laws are created and others repealed or written, it’s important to ensure that these changes preserve and strengthen our constitutional rights.

Please ask Governor Burgum to veto House Bill 1286.