Heidi Heitkamp, Byron Dorgan, and Kent Conrad, all of whom represented North Dakota in the U.S. Senate, wrote a letter on Tuesday, February 2, saying Schneider, a personal injury attorney in Fargo, was highly trained to to serve as the closest U.S. attorney in the state.
“Now, more than ever, our country needs honest, stable and fair leaders in our Justice Department, and Mac is exactly the kind of leader that this moment in our country demands,” the Senators wrote.
Presidents often appoint replacements for US attorneys after a new administration takes office. However, Republican Sens. John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer have asked Biden to allow Drew Wrigley to retain his position as the current US attorney in North Dakota.
Wrigley was first appointed US attorney in 2001 before stepping down in 2009. He was Governor of North Dakota from 2010 to 2016 before returning to the role of U.S. attorney in 2019.
Last month the Forum asked Schneider about the prospect of becoming North Dakota’s US attorney. He said he had not been asked to take the position by anyone, but he would be honored to do so if nominated.
“If the President of the United States asks you to serve in this capacity, the answer would of course be yes,” he said at the time.
On Wednesday, Schneider said it was an honor for him to have the support of the former senators. “I read the letter this morning and it is extremely humble to have your support,” he said, noting that he has not yet had any contact with the Biden administration.
Schneider has worked closely with Wrigley throughout his career, beginning when Wrigley hired him as an external contributor to work for the US Attorney General for the summer of 2006.
“I see Drew as a friend and mentor,” said Schneider, adding that the US law firm in North Dakota “has a tradition of changing administrations with professionalism and commitment to justice and the quality of legal work who emerged from this firm That won’t change. Whoever the next US attorney is would be wise to uphold this impartial tradition. “
Mac Schneider, who videotaped his teammates from the University of North Dakota in 2003, was a Senator from 2008 to 2016. Eric Hylden / Grand Forks Herald
Schneider graduated from the University of North Dakota in 2002, where he was co-captain of the soccer team. He received his law degree from Georgetown University in 2008 and moved back to North Dakota to run his family’s law firm.
While running the practice, he was elected to the North Dakota Senate as a Democrat representing Grand Forks in 2009 and served until 2016 when he was voted out of office. At the time of Schneider’s departure, he was chairman of the Senate minority.
After losing his election, he moved to Fargo to head his family law firm Schneider Law. In 2018, Schneider made an unsuccessful bid for North Dakota’s only seat in the US home and lost to Kelly Armstrong.
Schneider law firm handles a range of legal disputes, including social security disability benefits, labor law and class actions. The company’s website says Schneider has a “North Dakota nice” approach to dealing with customers.
The former senators said in their letter to Biden that Schneider’s character matched the position.
“Mac lives his life and values by both the letter and the spirit of the law. He is a man of deep integrity who above all values service to his state and country. Mac would make an exceptional United States attorney and take on the role. ” with honor and distinction, “wrote the senators.
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