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South Dakota Supreme Court elections, 2024
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The term of one South Dakota Supreme Court justice expired on January 7, 2025. The one seat was up for retention election on November 5, 2024. The filing deadline was August 6, 2024.
One of five justices on the South Dakota Supreme Court is up for retention election— Scott P. Myren. If retained, he will serve the subsequent eight year term.
Gov. Kristi Noem (R) appointed Myren to the supreme court. After an initial three-year term, he must stand in an uncontested yes-no election.
Heading into the election, all five judges on the court were appointed by a Republican governor.[1]
Candidates and results
South Dakota Supreme Court District 5
Scott P. Myren was retained to the South Dakota Supreme Court District 5 on November 5, 2024 with 79.3% of the vote.
Retention Vote |
% |
Votes |
|||
| ✔ | Yes |
79.3
|
279,216 | ||
No |
20.7
|
72,908 | |||
Total Votes |
352,124 | ||||
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Candidate profiles
There were no candidate profiles created for this race. Candidate profiles would have appeared here as candidates completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey.
Voting information
- See also: Voting in South Dakota
About the South Dakota Supreme Court
- See also: South Dakota Supreme Court
The South Dakota Supreme Court is the highest court in the state of South Dakota. The main job of the court is to listen to appeals from the decisions rendered by lower courts in the state. The court also has authority over some original matters, and it can be called on to advise the state's governor regarding executive powers. The court is composed of a chief justice and four associate justices appointed by the governor and selected from five different appointment districts.
Political composition
This was the political composition of the court heading into the 2024 election.
| ■ Patricia DeVaney | Appointed by Gov. Kristi Noem (R) in 2019 | |
| ■ Steven Jensen | Appointed by Gov. Dennis Daugaard (R) in 2017 | |
| ■ Janine M. Kern | Appointed by Gov. Dennis Daugaard (R) in 2014 | |
| ■ Scott P. Myren | Appointed by Gov. Kristi Noem (R) in 2020 | |
| ■ Mark Salter | Appointed by Gov. Dennis Daugaard (R) in 2018 |
Selection
- See also: Judicial selection in South Dakota
Each of the five justices on the South Dakota Supreme Court serves terms of eight years. In the case of a vacancy, a judicial nominating commission recommends candidates to the governor, and the governor selects a successor from that list. The new appointee serves for at least three years before running in a yes-no retention election.[2]
Qualifications
To serve on this court, a judge must be:
- a U.S. citizen;
- a resident of South Dakota;
- a voting resident within his or her respective district;
- licensed to practice law in the state; and
- under the age of 70.*[2][3][4]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Bolts, "Your State-by-State Guide to the 2024 Supreme Court Elections," accessed April 29, 2024
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: South Dakota," archived October 2, 2014
- ↑ Under the South Dakota code, a supreme court justice who turns seventy while in office must be "automatically retired on the first Tuesday after the first Monday of January next after the general election at which members of the Legislature are elected."
- ↑ Justia US Law, "Section 16-1-4.1: Mandatory retirement of justices at age seventy—Conclusion of pending matters," accessed September 10, 2014
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
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