
The Law of Hard Times: Essays
Select essays from Sarah’s Email Newsletter (Subscribe)
In Plain English: What Are Our Politicians Doing to Help Family Farmers?
June 16, 2022/by Andrea GuevaraGhost Farms and the Haunting of Main Street
April 14, 2022/by Andrea GuevaraComments to the Members of the North Dakota Ethics Commission
December 3, 2021/by leighsteinIn Praise of Willie Nelson
November 16, 2021/by leighsteinOn Jay Gatsby, the Most Famous North Dakotan
November 2, 2021/by Andrea GuevaraMeet Dwight Coleman, One of the North Dakota Nine
October 29, 2021/by sarahvogel

Ghost Farms and the Haunting of Main Street
Like many North Dakotans my age, I have vivid memories of the thriving rural North Dakota downtowns of my childhood. Bustling stores with picture window displays lined Main Street. There were usually two law firms in each town so as to be able…

Comments to the Members of the North Dakota Ethics Commission
Here are some close-to-final draft comments I will be sending to the North Dakota Ethics Commission on proposed rules. I think these rules are very poorly written and ill advised. I’m sharing these draft comments on my “blog” because…

In Praise of Willie Nelson
In 1982, I met Mark Ritchie and he introduced me to Jim Massey, a legal services lawyer from Minnesota. At the time, I was representing family farmers in their appeals against the Farmers Home Administration, and I was getting frustrated by…

On Jay Gatsby, the Most Famous North Dakotan
Read Sarah's new Lit Hub essay:
"On Jay Gatsby, the Most Famous North Dakotan"
Sarah Vogel Traces the Humble Midwest Origins of an Iconic Character
https://lithub.com/on-jay-gatsby-the-most-famous-north-dakotan/

Meet Dwight Coleman, One of the North Dakota Nine
In the spring and summer of 1982, the national media began to hear of the farm crisis. Reporters and producers on the coasts went on a hunt for stories that illustrated the farmers’ plight. I was getting calls almost daily from the Washington…