Probation for judge accused of bias by ex-deputy and newly elected state Rep. Bidal Duran

A newly elected state representative is announcing vindication — not regarding the election, but a recent judicial board ruling against a judge who admonished him in his previous role as a sheriff’s deputy.

Bidal Duran won a tight race for the House 2A seat in northern Minnesota. While campaigning, Duran was terminated from the Hubbard County Sheriff’s Office when he ran out of medical leave. The termination followed a series of reprimands in his three years with the department, including being admonished by Ninth District Judge Eric Schieferdecker.

The judge accused Duran of lying about the existence of a confidential informant on a search warrant last year. He questioned Duran’s credibility because information on the confidential informant wasn’t revealed until months later in a second search warrant request from Duran that was denied.

Schieferdecker ruled that Duran’s conduct “could be insidious” and said it’s “inexcusable to answer dishonestly.” Prosecutors ultimately dropped charges against two suspected meth traffickers.

As a result, Duran was investigated but it was determined that he didn’t violate department policy. Duran in return filed a complaint against Schieferdecker with the Board on Judicial Standards, an independent state agency that responds to complaints about district judges.

Duran shared a Nov. 15 letter from the board with media this week. The letter informed Duran that the board had considered his complaint against Schieferdecker accusing him of “intimidating demeanor, partiality, lack of fairness, and bias and prejudice against you and law enforcement officers.”

The board said it had entered into a legal agreement with Schieferdecker called a deferred disposition agreement, essentially a form of probation. Schieferdecker must comply with confidential terms laid out by the board. If the judge takes corrective action, a nondisciplinary “letter of caution” will be issued in two years advising Schieferdecker of future conduct. Noncompliance could result in a private warning or public reprimand.

But it’s unclear whether any of the allegations against Schieferdecker were substantiated. The board declined to comment.

Amy Ihlan, an attorney with the board, said in an email to the Minnesota Star Tribune that “the board is generally unable to confirm or deny the existence of a complaint or private discipline involving state court judges.”

Ihlan added that “all proceedings shall be confidential” unless a formal complaint or response are filed with the Supreme Court.

Schieferdecker said in a statement to the Star Tribune that he is “ethically limited” to the following response: “The [board] proceedings do not, and cannot, change the rulings I made concerning Bidal Duran. Search warrant information must be provided to judges under oath and in writing. I offered the prosecution a hearing where Mr. Duran could testify under oath. The prosecutors declined to request a hearing and dismissed the charges against two defendants for possession of more than 100 grams of methamphetamine.”

Schieferdecker was appointed to the Ninth Judicial District in 2014. He was elected in 2016 and 2022. His term expires in 2029.

The district comprises 17 counties in northwest Minnesota: Aitkin, Beltrami, Cass, Clearwater, Crow Wing, Hubbard, Itasca, Kittson, Koochiching, Lake of the Woods, Mahnomen, Marshall, Norman, Pennington, Polk, Red Lake and Roseau.

Duran didn’t respond to interview requests for this story. He previously told the Star Tribune while campaigning that the admonishment called into question his integrity and truthfulness. “As peace officers, the one thing that once you lose you can rarely get back is your credibility,” he said.

In a news release shared this week, Duran took a different tone.

“This action recognizes the judge’s failure to fairly assess Duran’s conduct and the harm caused by the baseless accusations,” the release said. It added that Duran has “always believed in justice and accountability, even when I am the one being judged.”

“This outcome reaffirms my faith in due process and my commitment to serving Minnesotans with the integrity that has guided me throughout my life,” he said in the release.

Duran, 39, worked as a deputy and narcotics investigator with the Paul Bunyan Drug Task Force. He joined the agency in the summer of 2020 and previously worked as a Bemidji police officer.

He secured 52% of votes to beat DFL opponent Reed Olson, maintaining GOP control of the House 2A seat.

In his newly elected role, he will represent Lake of the Woods County, portions of Beltrami and Clearwater counties and the Red Lake Reservation.