BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - Gov. Jack Dalrymple is awarding North Dakota's highest honor to state Supreme Court Chief Justice Gerald VandeWalle.
Dalrymple will present VandeWalle with the award on Wednesday during a joint session of the Legislature.
The chief justice is the 41st recipient of the Theodore Roosevelt Rough Rider Award.
The 81-year-old VandeWalle was re-elected to his fourth 10-year term in November. He is the longest-serving chief justice in state history and the oldest state chief justice in the nation.
VandeWalle is a native of Noonan and a University of North Dakota graduate.