Supreme Court rules Insurance Commissioner candidate ineligible for November election

"We issue a writ of injunction restraining Secretary of State Jaeger from placing the name of Travisia Jonette Minor, A/K/A Travisia Martin, on the November 3, 2020, general election ballot."

That is the ruling of the North Dakota Supreme Court today in the case concerning the placement of the Democratic candidate for North Dakota Insurance Commissioner, Travisia Martin, on this year's election ballot in November. The state's high court found that Martin is not eligible to hold the office of insurance commissioner.

In a statement, Republican and incumbent Insurance Commissioner Jon Godfread says, “Today’s Supreme Court ruling confirms what we have known since May - that without this decision, North Dakota voters may have been duped into voting for an unqualified Democrat candidate. This ruling is a big win for voters and our state’s election process. I’m grateful to all the parties involved who argued on the side of the Constitution and pleased to see the Court protect the integrity of our North Dakota ballot.

“The complexities and sensitivities of insurance make the role of Commissioner an important one for consumers and industry alike. I’m proud of our work at the department over the last four years and would be honored to continue serving the people of North Dakota in this way.”

North Dakota GOP Chairman Rick Berg also issued a statement, saying, “Today is a great victory for the rule of law in North Dakota, and the NDGOP is proud to have led the way in the legal fight that has resulted in this decision. Between this decision and this week’s earlier news that Measure 3 would also be thrown off the ballot, we are pleased that out-of-state liberals have been stopped on both counts from coming into our state and making a mockery out of our process. We look forward to reelecting Jon Godfread and our other great conservative leaders this November.”