Although the US Supreme Court decision June 21 in United States v. Taylor wasn’t one of the court’s “blockbusters,” it nevertheless was an impactful case in the area of federal criminal law.
The court, in a 7-2 decision, held that attempted Hobbs Act robbery—essentially, the federal robbery statute—can no longer qualify as a “crime of violence” for purposes of certain mandatory minimum sentencing enhancements.
Continue reading “US Supreme Court Clarifies ‘Crimes of Violence’”
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell has announced a new senior management team to lead the District’s enforcement mission. “The mission of the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of South Dakota is today as it always has been—to impartially enforce and uphold the laws of the United States with the central goal of enhancing safety in our communities. That work will continue under the experienced leadership of our senior management team. Each of these individuals has dedicated their career to the pursuit of justice and bring to bear a tremendous amount of wisdom and integrity in support of the District’s mission.”
Continue reading “US Attorney for South Dakota Selects Leadership Team”
The mayor of the state’s largest city says rapid growth requires strategic investments.
Mayor Paul TenHaken’s capital program proposal calls for highway and street funding to increase by nearly $50 million over the next five years. That’s a 20% increase over the previous capital plan.
The proposal also creates a “renewed emphasis” on kids and families. TenHaken says cultural and recreation investments support wellness and public safety.
Responsible alcohol consumption is safe and enjoyable, and nearly all alcohol users drink responsibly. At the same time, problematic alcohol use by a relatively small share of drinkers creates enormous social costs. A recent study found destructive alcohol use cost the U.S. nearly $250 billion in 2010 alone.
The most serious cost of problematic drinking is early death. Excessive alcohol use is blamed for around 95,000 deaths every year in the U.S., including around 10,000 from drunk driving. By contrast, around 93,000 people died of drug overdoses in 2020. Between 1999 and 2017, alcohol-related deaths in the United States more than doubled. Alcohol-related deaths cost Americans nearly 3 million years of potential life every year.
July 1 is the day that laws passed and signed from the previous legislative session go into effect. This year’s new statutes cover topics ranging from child support to graduation regalia and beyond.
Hoping you have a safe and wonderful Independence Day holiday!
Although the Supreme Court issued the two most important opinions of the term last week, upending near 50-year-old precedent on abortion and expanding gun rights for the first time in a decade, this blockbuster term is not over.
Still to be decided are seven disputes, and new opinions will be announced Monday morning.
A look at what remains:
Continue reading “The remaining Supreme Court cases this term”
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem on Sunday said her state will prosecute doctors who perform abortions and will work to restrict women’s access to abortion pills.
South Dakota is among 10 states with “trigger laws” that declared abortion a criminal offense immediately upon the US Supreme Court’s decision Friday to strike down the 1973 Roe v. Wade case that established a women’s right to have the procedure.
Continue reading “South Dakota will prosecute abortion docs and restrict access to pills: Gov. Noem”
South Dakota’s Republican-controlled state senate voted to impeach Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg on Tuesday. The affirmative votes on the two articles of impeachment before the state’s upper chamber automatically remove the state’s embattled attorney general from office, according to The Associated Press.
The majority of Mount Rushmore State senators agreed that Ravnsborg caused a death, misled law enforcement, and abused the powers of his office, the AP continued.
The vote required a two-thirds majority.
Continue reading “South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg Removed from Office”
On June 17, 2021, President Biden signed legislation making Juneteenth, a Texas-based commemoration of the last group of slaves learning in 1865 that slavery had ended, a federal holiday. It was an ambivalent accomplishment, representing a tardy response to the racial-justice protests of 2020 and the payment of an overdue debt that Biden in particular, and Democrats generally, owed to Black voters. There were already signs that the “racial-justice summer” wave had crested, and the holiday’s embrace by corporations and the federal government would be a hollow gesture. The holiday’s “mix of low risk and low cost has made it an appealing virtue signal,” my colleague Zak Cheney-Rice argued at the time.
Continue reading “Juneteenth and America’s Racial-Justice Backslide”