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Judith Meierhenry
| Judith Meierhenry | |
|---|---|
| January 20, 1944 | |
 | |
| South Dakota Supreme Court Justice | |
| Assumed office 2002 | |
| Second Circuit Court Judge | |
| In office 1988-2002 |
Judith K. Meierhenry was an associate justice of the South Dakota Supreme Court. She is the first woman to serve on the state's highest court. Meierhenry was appointed by Republican Governor Bill Janklow in 2002 to represent the Fourth Supreme Court District. After having been retained by voters in 2006, her current renewable eight-year term would end in 2014. Meierhenry retired from the court in June of 2011.[1][2]
Education
Meierhenry attended the University of South Dakota, receiving her Bachelor of Science in 1966, her Master's degree in 1968, and her J.D. in 1977.[3]
Career
After graduating from law school, Meierhenry went into private practice. In 1979, she was appointed to the State Economic Opportunity Office. One year later, she was appointed Secretary of Labor, then Secretary of Education and Cultural Affairs in 1983. In 1985, Meierhenry became Senior Manager and Assistant General Counsel for Citibank South Dakota. She worked in this capacity until her appointment to the South Dakota Second Judicial Circuit in 1988. She became presiding judge in 1997. Meierhenry joined the South Dakota Supreme Court in 2002.[4]
Awards and associations
- Member, Clay-Union Bar Association
- Member, National Association of Women Judges
- Past President, South Dakota Judges Association
- Member, Second Circuit Bar Association
- Member, South Dakota Bar Association
- Member, South Dakota Civil Pattern Jury Instruction Committee[4]
External links
- Members of the South Dakota Supreme Court, with biographies
- Project Vote Smart biography, Justice Judith K. Meierhenry (SD)
- Associated Press "Will new South Dakota Supreme Court justice be man or woman?" April 11, 2011
Footnotes
Federal courts:
Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: District of South Dakota • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: District of South Dakota
State courts:
South Dakota Supreme Court • South Dakota Circuit Courts • South Dakota Magistrate Courts
State resources:
Courts in South Dakota • South Dakota judicial elections • Judicial selection in South Dakota
