South Dakota

State AG faces impeachment for fatal car crash; ‘his face came through your windshield,’ cop says

South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg is refusing to resign as lawmakers begin impeachment proceedings against him for a fatal car crash that killed a pedestrian.

Feb 25, 2021 9:45 AM CST

Afternoon Briefs: Gunman had file on SCOTUS justice, judge says; state AG charged in fatal crash

Gunman apparently targeted this SCOTUS justice, judge says Lawyer Roy Den Hollander, the gunman who killed the son of U.S. District Judge Esther Salas of the District of New Jersey, was apparently targeting U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Salas told CBS News’ 60 Minutes. After Hollander killed himself, authorities…

Feb 19, 2021 4:02 PM CST

Afternoon Briefs: DOJ changes stance on health care law; Scabby the Rat gets NLRB lawyer’s support

DOJ withdraws opposition to health care law The U.S. Department of Justice has notified the U.S. Supreme Court that it no longer supports overturning the Affordable Care Act. The Trump administration had argued that the health care law is no longer constitutional after Congress eliminated the tax penalty for failure…

Feb 10, 2021 4:36 PM CST

Afternoon Briefs: BigLaw partner faces architect’s suit; Weinstein accusers will receive compensation

Suit claims Orrick partner didn’t fully pay for architect’s work Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe partner Jeannie Shin is facing a lawsuit by an architecture firm claiming that she illegally copied its plans for improvements to her San Francisco home. The suit by Jennifer Tulley Architects Inc. claims that the purloined…

Jan 28, 2021 5:04 PM CST

Oregon voters legalize psychedelic mushrooms, decriminalize drugs; 4 other states OK recreational marijuana

Voters in several states loosened drug laws Tuesday, going so far in Oregon as to legalize psychedelic mushrooms and to decriminalize small amounts of heroin and other drugs.

Nov 4, 2020 11:39 AM CST

Afternoon Briefs: Judge blocks postal changes; bedroom backdrop for SCOTUS justice’s Constitution Day remarks

Federal judge blocks US Postal Service changes Ruling from the bench Thursday, U.S. District Judge Stanley Bastian of Yakima, Washington, blocked U.S. Postal Service changes that slowed mail delivery. Ruling in a suit by 14 states, Bastian said the plaintiffs have shown a politically motivated attack on the efficiency of…

Sep 17, 2020 4:34 PM CDT

State attorney general said he thought he hit deer when he struck and killed pedestrian, authorities say

South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg told authorities that he thought he hit a deer after striking and killing a pedestrian Saturday night, according to the state highway patrol.

Sep 14, 2020 3:25 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: 10th Circuit strikes down voter ID law; social distancing could mean long elevator lines

10th Circuit strikes down Kansas voter ID law The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at Denver has struck down a Kansas law that required a birth certificate or other proof of citizenship to register to vote. The 10th Circuit ruled Wednesday that the Kansas law violates the equal protection…

Apr 30, 2020 4:23 PM CDT

No Country for Rural Lawyers: Small-town attorneys still find it hard to thrive

Solving the rural attorney shortage won’t be easy, given that few law graduates appear willing to set up shop in rural America. The situation is only expected to worsen in the near future, given that many lawyers in less-populated counties are approaching retirement age and no younger attorneys have moved in to replace them.

Feb 1, 2020 12:00 AM CST

Judge blocks ‘extensive and burdensome’ state law on ballot initiatives

A federal judge in South Dakota ruled Thursday that a new law requiring people who circulate ballot petitions to provide the state with their personal information is unconstitutional.

Jan 10, 2020 4:03 PM CST

15 years of inaction on inmate’s habeas petition is ‘shockingly dysfunctional malfeasance,’ judge says

A South Dakota judge said Tuesday that 15 years of inaction on an inmate’s habeas petition was breaking his heart. Judge Doug Hoffman of the Second Judicial Circuit spoke at a court hearing that discussed how David Allen Lee’s habeas corpus appeal fell through the cracks, the Sioux Falls Argus…

Mar 27, 2019 2:13 PM CDT

Execution transcript shows inmate asked, ‘Is it supposed to feel like that?’ after drug flowed

The Death Penalty Information Center is calling for the release of more information on the drug used to execute a South Dakota inmate whose last words were, “Is it supposed to feel like that?” The state released a transcript Tuesday of the words spoken during the Oct. 29 execution of…

Nov 15, 2018 12:58 PM CST

1881 Initiative aims to increase the number of female AGs

The Democratic Attorneys General Association has launched an initiative to elect more women to an underestimated position: state attorney general. DAGA’s 1881 Initiative is named for the first year two women ran for—and lost—state AG seats. The goal is to ensure that by 2022 at least half the Democratic attorneys general will be women.

Jul 1, 2018 2:10 AM CDT

When a mental health emergency lands you in jail

Early last year, two suicidal patients showed up at a hospital emergency room in Pierre, South Dakota, seeking help. Although the incidents happened weeks apart, both patients ended up in an unexpected place: jail. Across the country, and especially in rural areas, people in the middle of a mental health…

Sep 25, 2017 7:00 AM CDT

Delaware loses long-held No. 1 ranking for business-friendly legal climate to South Dakota

A periodic survey of corporations by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s legal-reform arm found that Delaware has lost its No. 1 ranking for being business-friendly in legal matters, dropping to No. 11, the Associated Press reports. Delaware had been No. 1 in the previous 10 surveys, and fell out of…

Sep 12, 2017 1:45 PM CDT