New justice appointed to South Dakota Supreme Court
KELO News: "South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem has appointed a new Supreme Court Justice. The appointment of Patricia Jean DeVaney fills the open vacancy in the 3rd Supreme Court District from the death of Justice Steven Zinter."
UND law students enjoy litigation discussion
On March 3, first year law students at the University of North Dakota School of Law had an opportunity to listen to a panel of several members of the North Dakota bar who shared their litigation experiences and answered questions from the students on a variety of litigation topics.S.D.: Incoming law school dean excited for position, engaging with students
USD Volante: "Neil Fulton, a Miller, S.D. native, was named as the USD School of Law Dean last month. Fulton will start his position in June. Fulton is a federal public defender, South Dakota Bar Examiner and former Chief of Staff to then Gov. Michael Rounds."South Dakota's 2018 crime statistics released
KSFY News: "The State of South Dakota has released its annual crime report. The report shows a 28 percent decrease in sex offenses and a 32 percent decrease in thefts compared to 2017. The state has still seen an overall increase of 49 percent in drug offenses over the past six years."Nation: 3 months into new criminal justice law, success for some and snafus for others
Wyoming Public Media: "After spending 15 years in prison for a drug offense, Randy Rader had almost lost hope that he might get out of prison before his release date in 2023. If Rader's conviction for 5 grams of crack cocaine — his third drug offense — had happened after 2010, he would have received a much shorter sentence."
U.S.: Supreme Court justices feuding openly over death penalty
CNN: "The justices are still bitterly divided over the execution of Domineque Ray, who claimed his religious rights were violated because he could not have an imam with him in the execution chamber, in February -- so much so that they continued to litigate the case in an unrelated opinion issued on Monday."U.S. Supreme Court opinions: April 1
The United States Supreme Court has issued opinions in a case on execution methods and in a social security disability benefits case.Indigent defense offices work hard to recruit attorneys
Minot Daily News: "The hiring challenges facing public defenders’ offices in western North Dakota might not currently be as severe as those of prosecutors’ offices, but they are just as real, according to information from the North Dakota Commission on Legal Counsel for Indigents."