Back in May I wrote about the reprimand issued to Judge Steven Cahill for 18 violations governing judicial conduct. Cahill told me at the time that he regretted the misconduct, much of which appeared to stem from a compassionate impulse toward defendants that the Board of Judicial Standards went way over the line. Despite the rare disciplinary action, the Moorhead-based judge told me he would stand for re-election.

Voters in the 7th Judicial District appear to have looked beyond that issue, because unofficial returns, with all precincts reporting, showed Cahill with 51 percent of the vote, compared to challenger Kenneth Kohler's nearly 48 percent. There were 226 write-in votes, a little less than one-fifth of 1 percent of all votes cast.

Cahill was first appointed to the bench in 2006.