South Dakota’s success rate for keeping truancy cases out of court is the lowest it’s been in a decade, according to an annual report presented to a state committee.

The Juvenile Justice Reinvestment Oversight Council is a group of representatives from law enforcement, schools, the Legislature, social services and the court system. It is responsible for tracking South Dakota’s efforts to reduce the number of children in custody.

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Violence driven by control and fear leaves deep and lasting harm in homes and communities across the country. This kind of abuse falls disproportionately on women, and too often the consequences are deadly. Predators prey on the most vulnerable among us, committing some of the most horrific crimes imaginable against children. These are among the most traumatic and disturbing cases in our justice system today, and Canada’s new government is moving swiftly to better protect victims and survivors, and ensure abusers and predators face the full force of the law.

Continue reading “Canada overhauls Criminal Code to protect victims and keep kids safe from predators” →

A family in Killeen just had nearly a thousand dollars worth of presents stolen off their porch.

“He kind of already knows that he saw them being dropped off. And he just walks up the driveway, walks up the sidewalk to the house and he picks up our stuff and walks away,” says Killeen resident, Rick Gibbons.

Gibbons is furious after more than $600 worth of gifts were swiped in broad daylight.

Continue reading “Police advise alternative delivery methods as porch pirates prey on holiday spirit” →

South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley has created a commission aimed at helping state and local law enforcement agencies develop uniform standards for complying with the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Giglio v. United States, according to an announcement from the Attorney General’s Office. The ruling requires prosecutors to disclose evidence that could undermine the credibility of government witnesses, including law enforcement officers. The full Supreme Court decision is available here: https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/405/150/.

Continue reading “Jackley Forms Commission to Standardize Giglio Requirements for South Dakota Law Enforcement” →

A viral photo of Pope Francis walking outside the Vatican in a white puffer jacket was circulating on the internet in March 2023. It was a youthful and stylish look for the pontiff that immediately changed my impression of him.

Within hours, news sources reported that the photo was fake and created using generative artificial intelligence. My initial reaction was disappointment and amusement. With the passage of time, I now view that photo as an inflection point.

Continue reading “Deepfakes Are Hard to Punish—A Federal Criminal Law Can Fix That” →

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced today that he has sent letters to 14 operators of illegal gambling websites, directing them to stop offering online gambling in Minnesota because they may violate Minnesota consumer-protection laws that prohibit deceptive, fraudulent, unfair or unconscionable practices. These websites include social sweepstakes casinos that use virtual coins to play casino games for cash and prizes, as well as websites offering sports betting, poker, and other types of gambling, all of which are prohibited under Minnesota’s laws (Minn. St. 609.755-609.76). An example of the letters that Attorney General Ellison sent are available here: social sweepstakes casino letter – undisguised gambling website letter.

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A 15-member task force established by South Dakota’s attorney general will review the state’s open meetings laws and ponder possible changes.

South Dakota already has an Open Meetings Commission that reviews alleged violations of the state’s open meetings laws and can issue disciplinary letters to offending government bodies. The commission was established in 2004 and is made up of five state’s attorneys.

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In St. Paul, hard work should be rewarded with good pay.

But too often, in Minnesota’s own capital city, ordinances that are supposed to protect workers cannot be enforced, because the city lacks the power to use civil penalties.

My organization, the Saint Paul Regional Labor Federation, AFL-CIO, brings together over 100 local unions and nearly 16,000 union members who live in the city. The members of the unions I work for know the importance of having the right tools to enforce the rules, and conversely the precarity of not having a way to hold bad actors responsible for their actions.

Continue reading “Minnesota cities need civil and criminal citations at their disposal” →

An inmate died in Department of Corrections custody this week, adding another name to a list of in-custody deaths that’s higher than the state has seen in recent memory.

Travis Long Fox, 33, died Friday in a Sioux Falls hospital. He’d been there since Tuesday, when he was found unresponsive in his cell at the South Dakota State Penitentiary.

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As the federal government carries out aggressive immigration raids in major cities across the U.S., state officials are facing off with the federal government over a centuries-old question: When can states prosecute federal officials for violating state criminal law?

A statement from former speaker Nancy Pelosi and California Rep. Kevin Mullin on Oct. 23 asserted that “state and local authorities may arrest federal agents if they break California law—and if they are convicted, the President cannot pardon them.” Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has formed a commission to address “unlawful attacks” by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers. New York’s attorney general recently set up a portal for the public to share footage of ICE interactions, stating that the office is “committed to reviewing these reports and assessing any violations of law.” And local officials in San Francisco, Philadelphia, and Boston have stated that they will pursue legal action if federal officers break the law.

Continue reading “Are Federal Officials Immune From State Prosecution?” →