University of South Dakota School of Law
University of South Dakota School of Law | |
---|---|
Coat of Arms of the School of Law | |
Motto | Veritas |
Parent school | University of South Dakota |
Established | 1901 |
School type | Public law school |
Parent endowment | $213.56 million[1] |
Dean | Thomas Geu (resigned) |
Location |
Vermillion, South Dakota, U.S. 42°47′11″N 96°55′39″W / 42.78639°N 96.92750°WCoordinates: 42°47′11″N 96°55′39″W / 42.78639°N 96.92750°W |
Enrollment | 175 J.D. candidates[2] |
Faculty | 20 |
Website |
www |
ABA profile | University of South Dakota School of Law Profile |
The University of South Dakota School of Law (also known as South Dakota Law or USD Law) in Vermillion, South Dakota, United States, is a professional school of the University of South Dakota and the only law school in the state of South Dakota.
Established in 1901, the law school is home to approximately 175 students and has more than 3,000 alumni. With 175 J.D. candidates, it is currently the third smallest student population among the American Bar Association accredited law schools.[2] In 2018, the U.S. News & World Report "Best Law Schools" rankings placed University of South Dakota School of Law at 128th out of 215 law schools in the United States.[3]
The University of South Dakota School of Law has produced eight Governors of South Dakota including as well as other key figures important to the development of the state, nearly the historical entirety of the South Dakota Supreme Court and U.S. District Court for the District of South Dakota, thirteen members of the U.S. Congress, eighteen Attorney Generals of South Dakota, and thirteen U.S. Attorneys for the District of South Dakota, earning it the nickname "the Alma Mater of the State."
History
1901-1911 (The Sterling Years)
The University of South Dakota College of Law was founded in 1901. Thomas Sterling served as the law school's first dean until 1911 when he left to become the third U.S. Senator from South Dakota. During the Sterling years, the law school proved successful in developing attorneys for the new state. In fact, by the time Sterling was in Congress, two of his earliest graduates William Williamson and Royal C. Johnson were Congressmen themselves. Before Sterling and the College of Law, the few lawyers there were, came from eastern states or read law for admission into the bar.
Along with Sterling, U.S. Ambassador to Austria Bartlett Tripp, was an integral part of establishing the school. Tripp was returning to South Dakota from his diplomatic post in Austria at the turn of the century. Tripp had been initially considered to be the running mate of President William McKinley, his friend and Albany Law School classmate, but was overlooked in lieu of then-Governor of New York Teddy Roosevelt. With no other political opportunities left to him, Tripp devoted his full attention to establishing the College of Law. He played many roles in the law school, not only was he the school's first taxation and constitutional law professor but he had served as President of the first bar association, the Constitutional Convention of South Dakota & the commission to codify South Dakota's laws, as well as the Chief Justice of the Dakota Territory. Tripp and his son-in-law Charles Hall Dillon, a fellow professor, provided much of the law library's contents and upon Tripp's death donated much of his estate to the College of Law. It is speculated that had William McKinley not overlooked him for Vice President of the United States the College of Law may not have been founded as soon as it was. Thomas Sterling's 1911 departure was partly led by the death of his friend and colleague Bartlett Tripp.
1911-1984
In 1911, Marshall McKusick became the school's second and subsequent longest-serving dean, serving until his death in 1950. The 1927 class proved to be one of the strongest classes in USD Law history, producing Frank Biegelmeier, George T. Mickelson, E.Y. Berry, Joseph Bottum, and Harold Lovre. A stronger class did not come until 1975, when USD Law produced Steven L. Zinter, David Gilbertson, Glen A. Severson, Steve T. Kirby, and Tim Johnson. In 1982, the College of Law moved from its then-82-year-old building to a new building and was renamed the 'School of Law'. During this period the law school was led by the 11th Deputy Attorney General of the United States from the Nixon Administration, Ralph E. Erickson.
1984-2016
In 1984, South Dakota Supreme Court abolished the nearly century old practice of diploma privilege, which previously admitted School of Law graduates into South Dakota bar without examination.[4] Also in 1984, Camden 28 member and Indian Law scholar Frank Pommersheim joined the faculty. From 1991 until 2011 Barry Vickery, a Vanderbilt law alumni, served as Dean of the School of Law. During Vickery's tenure, noted federalist professor Patrick Garry joined the faculty in 2003. Former CEO of the Mayo Clinic, Mike Myers served on the faculty as an elder law professor. Myers, known for his eccentric behavior, was forced to resign in 2012. In 2013, Thomas Earl Geu a Nebraska law alumni, was hired from his previous position of interim dean into full dean.[5]
2016-present
In June 2017, George "Mark" Mickelson, son and grandson of alumnus George S. Mickelson and George T. Mickelson chaired the USD Law Task Force to determine if the location of the School of Law should be moved to Sioux Falls, South Dakota.[6] The USD Law Task Force voted 8-5 to keep the School of Law in Vermilion, South Dakota, but would move third-year courses there. On March 20, 2018, Thomas Geu announced his intentions to resign as dean of the School of Law.[7]
Demographics and rankings
Admission is competitive; for the class entering in the fall of 2010, 220 out of 449 J.D. applicants were offered admission (48.9%), with 75 matriculating. They came from 46 colleges and 14 states. 58% percent were South Dakota residents, 42% were female, and 9% minorities. The 25th, 50th, and 75th percentile LSAT scores and GPAs for the class were 150/153/156 and 3.18/3.44/3.73 respectively.[8]
The U.S. News & World Report law school rankings placed South Dakota at 128 of 215 law schools in the U.S. in 2018.[9]
In 2013, The National Jurist listed South Dakota Law in the top 5 schools for "Best Value".[10] In 2013, The National Law Journal listed South Dakota Law #5 for employment in the government and Public Interest sector.[11]
University of South Dakota School of Law is accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. According to South Dakota's official 2013 ABA-required disclosures, 60.6% of the Class of 2013 obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required employment nine months after graduation, making it the best in the region with the exception of the University of Minnesota Law School.[12]
Within the state of South Dakota, it is widely regarded as the most historically significant and venerable educational institution due to its long-time role of producing most the lawyers of the state.[6]
Noted Faculty
Current
- Frank Pommersheim, American Indian Law Professor, Camden 28 member, Chief Judge for the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribal Court of Appeals and the Chief Justice of the Rosebud Sioux Supreme Court
- Patrick Garry, Constitutional Law Professor
- Brendan Johnson, adjunct Law Professor and former U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota.
Former
- Thomas Sterling, 1st Dean of the College of Law and U.S. Senator from South Dakota. Namesake of Sterling Honors.
- Bartlett Tripp, 1st Professor of Law, 25th U.S. Ambassador to Austria, last Chief Justice of Dakota Territory Supreme Court, and first president of the South Dakota Bar Association.
- Ralph E. Erickson, 5th Dean of the College of Law and 11th Deputy Attorney General of the United States during the Nixon Administration.
- Charles Hall Dillon, Professor of Law, U.S. Representative from South Dakota and Associate Justice of the South Dakota Supreme Court. Namesake of the Dillon Lecture Series.
- Roger Baron, Professor of Law, ERISA scholar, and counsel in Sereboff v. Mid Atlantic Medical Services, Inc.
- Mike Myers, Professor of Law, CEO of Mayo Clinic, and candidate for Governor of South Dakota.
Noted alumni
The University of South Dakota School of Law has historically produced a number of noted alumni among which include eight governors, thirteen members of the U.S. congressional delegation from South Dakota, eighteen state attorneys general, thirteen U.S. Attorneys, twenty-eight state supreme court justices, and twelve federal judges including the Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, Roger Leland Wollman and the Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of South Dakota, Jeffrey L. Viken.
Currently, USD law alumni head two of South Dakota's branches of government Brian Gosch as Majority Leader of the South Dakota House of Representatives and Chief Justice David Gilbertson of the South Dakota Supreme Court. Current members of the executive branch include Lieutenant Governor Matt Michels, Attorney General Marty Jackley, and Chief of staff Tony Venhuizen.
William Williamson
L.L.B. 1905
U.S. Representative from South DakotaRoyal C. Johnson
L.L.B. 1906
U.S. Representative from South Dakota,
8th Attorney General of South Dakota,
Most highly decorated member of CongressGeorge T. Mickelson
L.L.B. 1927
Chief Judge U.S. District Court for the District of South Dakota,
18th Governor of South Dakota,
16th Attorney General of South DakotaJoe Robbie
L.L.B 1947
Founder-owner of the Miami Dolphins,
2x Super Bowl Champion.Bud Day
L.L.B. 1949
Medal of Honor recipient,
Most highly decorated U.S. Military officer in modern history.Frank Farrar
L.L.B. 1953
24th Governor of South Dakota & 22nd Attorney General of South DakotaRichard Howard Battey
L.L.B. 1953
Chief Judge, U.S. District Court for the District of South DakotaRoger Leland Wollman
J.D. 1962
Chief Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit,
4th Chief Justice, South Dakota Supreme CourtGeorge S. Mickelson
J.D. 1965
28th Governor of South DakotaLawrence Piersol
J.D. 1965
Chief Judge, U.S. District Court for the District of South DakotaJames Abourezk
J.D. 1966
U.S. Senator & U.S. Representative from South Dakota, First Arab-American member of Congress,
Author, Indian Child Welfare Act.Tim Johnson
J.D. 1975
U.S. Senator,
U.S. Representative from South DakotaDavid Gilbertson
J.D. 1975
9th Chief Justice, South Dakota Supreme CourtJeffrey L. Viken
J.D. 1977
Chief Judge, U.S. District Court for the District of South DakotaRandy Seiler
J.D. 1980
41st U.S. Attorney for the District of South DakotaDavid Lust
J.D. 1997
Majority Leader of the South Dakota House of Representatives
Academia
James W. Abbott | J.D. 1974 | President of the University of South Dakota 1997–present. |
Harvey Jewett | J.D. 1973 | President of South Dakota Board of Regents |
Attorneys General
Royal Johnson | L.L.B. 1906 | 8th Attorney General of South Dakota |
Clarence C. Caldwell | L.L.B. 1906 | 9th Attorney General of South Dakota. |
Buell F. Jones | L.L.B. | 11th Attorney General of South Dakota. |
Merrel Sharpe | L.L.B. 1914 | 12th Attorney General of South Dakota. |
D. Walter Conway | L.L.B. | 13th Attorney General of South Dakota. |
George Mickelson | L.L.B. 1927 | 16th Attorney General of South Dakota. |
Sigurd Anderson | L.L.B. 1937 | 17th Attorney General of South Dakota. |
Parnell J. Donahue | L.L.B. | 20th Attorney General of South Dakota. |
Albert C. Miller | L.L.B. | 21st Attorney General of South Dakota. |
Frank Farrar | L.L.B. 1953 | 22nd Attorney General of South Dakota. |
Gordon Mydland | L.L.B. 1948 | 23rd Attorney General of South Dakota. |
Kermit Sande | J.D. 1968 | 24th Attorney General of South Dakota. |
William Janklow | J.D. 1966 | 25th Attorney General of South Dakota and petitioner in South Dakota v. Opperman and Reeves, Inc. v. Stake. |
Mark V. Meierhenry | J.D. 1970 | 26th Attorney General of South Dakota and petitioner in Solem v. Helm and Solem v. Bartlett. |
Roger Tellinghuisen | J.D. 1978 | 27th Attorney General of South Dakota and petitioner in South Dakota v. Dole. |
Mark Barnett | J.D. 1978 | 28th Attorney General of South Dakota and petitioner in South Dakota v. Bourland. |
Larry Long | J.D. 1972 | 29th Attorney General of South Dakota, Judge of 2nd Circuit Court of South Dakota. |
Marty Jackley | J.D. 1995 | current 30th Attorney General of South Dakota and petitioner in South Dakota v. Wayfair, Inc. |
Business
Roswell Bottum | L.L.B. 1924 | chief counsel to Reconstruction Finance Corporation |
Joe Robbie | L.L.B. 1946 | founder-owner of the Miami Dolphins, 1966-1990. |
Frank Farrar | L.L.B. 1953 | founder, owner, and chairman of First Savings Bank. |
Mike Myers | J.D. 1967 | CEO of Mayo Clinic and board director of Minnesota Blue Cross Blue Shield |
Harvey C. Jewett IV | J.D. 1973 | CEO of Super 8 Motels and heir Jewett fortune. |
John Porter | J.D. 1974 | CEO of Avera Health. |
Steve T. Kirby | J.D. 1975 | co-founder of Bluestem Capital. |
Ross Dupper | J.D. 1982 | President & CEO of Porsche North America, Inc. |
Governors and Lieutenant Governors
John T. Grigsby | L.L.B 1903 | Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota and member of the prominent Kingsbury family. |
Leslie Jensen | L.L.B. 1921 | 15th Governor of South Dakota |
Merrell Q. Sharpe | L.L.B. 1914 | 17th Governor of South Dakota. |
George T. Mickelson | L.L.B. 1927 | 18th Governor of South Dakota and 1952 U.S. Presidential Candidate |
Albert C. Miller | L.L.B. | 22nd Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota |
Joseph H. Bottum | L.L.B. 1927 | 27th Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota, and presiding Judge of the Fifth Circuit Court of South Dakota. |
Lem Overpeck | L.L.B. 1936 | 29th Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota. |
Sigurd Anderson | L.L.B. 1937 | 19th Governor of South Dakota. |
Frank L. Farrar | L.L.B. 1953 | 24th Governor of South Dakota. |
George S. Mickelson | J.D. 1965 | 28th Governor of South Dakota. |
William J. Janklow | J.D. 1966 | 27th and 30th Governor of South Dakota. |
Steve Kirby | J.D. 1975 | 35th Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota. |
Matt Michels | J.D. 1985 | current Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota, 2011–present. |
State Supreme Court Justices
Charles R. Hayes | L.L.B. | Justice, South Dakota Supreme Court. |
Charles R. Hanson | L.L.B. | Justice, South Dakota Supreme Court. |
James M. Doyle | L.L.B. | Justice, South Dakota Supreme Court. |
Fred R. Winans | L.L.B. | Justice, South Dakota Supreme Court. |
Jon Fosheim | L.L.B. 1943 | Chief Justice, South Dakota Supreme Court. |
Frank Biegelmeier | L.L.B. 1927 | Justice, South Dakota Supreme Court. |
Alex Rentto | L.L.B. 1933 | Justice, South Dakota Supreme Court. |
Francis G. Dunn | L.L.B. 1937 | Chief Justice, South Dakota Supreme Court. |
Fred J. Homeyer | L.L.B. 1942 | Justice, South Dakota Supreme Court. |
Donald J. Porter | L.L.B. 1943 | Justice, South Dakota Supreme Court. |
George W. Wuest | L.L.B. 1949 | Chief Justice, South Dakota Supreme Court. |
Robert E. Morgan | L.L.B. 1950 | Justice, South Dakota Supreme Court. |
Oren P. Coler | L.L.B. 1952 | Justice, South Dakota Supreme Court. |
Frank Henderson | L.L.B. 1952 | Justice, South Dakota Supreme Court. |
Boyd Leedom | L.L.B. 1955 | Justice, South Dakota Supreme Court. |
Roger L. Wollman | J.D. 1962 | Justice, South Dakota Supreme Court. |
Richard W. Sabers | J.D. 1963 | Justice, South Dakota Supreme Court. |
Robert A. Miller | J.D. 1963 | Chief Justice, South Dakota Supreme Court. |
Laurence J. Zastrow | J.D. 1970 | Justice, South Dakota Supreme Court. |
John K. Konenkamp | J.D. 1974 | Justice, South Dakota Supreme Court. |
Steven L. Zinter | J.D. 1975 | current Justice, South Dakota Supreme Court. |
David Gilbertson | J.D. 1975 | current Chief Justice, South Dakota Supreme Court. |
Glen A. Severson | J.D. 1975 | Justice, South Dakota Supreme Court. |
Lori S. Wilbur | J.D. 1977 | Justice, South Dakota Supreme Court. |
Judith Meierhenry | J.D. 1977 | Justice, South Dakota Supreme Court. |
Daryl Hecht | J.D. 1977 | current Justice, Iowa Supreme Court. |
Steven R. Jensen | J.D. 1988 | current Justice, South Dakota Supreme Court. |
Mark Salter | J.D. 1993 | current Justice, South Dakota Supreme Court. |
United States District Attorneys
Leo P. Flynn | L.L.B. 1934 | 27th U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota under the Truman Administration. |
Clinton G. Richards | L.L.B. 1928 | 28th U.S. Attorney, District of South Dakota under the Eisenhower Administration. |
Harold C. Doyle | L.L.B. 1951 | 29th U.S. Attorney, District of South Dakota under the Kennedy Administration. |
William F. Clayton | L.L.B. 1951 | 30th U.S. Attorney, District of South Dakota under the Nixon Administration. |
David V. Vrooman | L.L.B. 1956 | 31st U.S. Attorney, District of South Dakota under the Carter Administration. |
Robert D. Hiaring | J.D. 1968 | 32nd U.S. Attorney, District of South Dakota. |
Jeff Viken | J.D. 1977 | 33rd U.S. Attorney, District of South Dakota. |
Philip N. Hogen | J.D. 1970 | 34th U.S. Attorney, District of South Dakota, Commissioner of National Indian Gaming Commission. |
Ted McBride | J.D. 1978 | 37th U.S. Attorney, District of South Dakota under the Clinton Administration. |
James E. McMahon | J.D. 1977 | 38th U.S. Attorney, District of South Dakota under the Bush Administration. |
Marty Jackley | J.D. 1995 | 39th U.S. Attorney, District of South Dakota. |
Randy Seiler | J.D. 1980 | 41st U.S. Attorney, District of South Dakota under the Obama Administration and Trump Administration. |
Ron A. Parsons Jr. | J.D. 1997 | current 42nd U.S. Attorney, District of South Dakota 2018–present. |
United States District Court
George Theodore Mickelson | L.L.B. 1927 | Chief Judge, United States District Court for the District of South Dakota. |
Fred Joseph Nichol | L.L.B. 1936 | Chief Judge, U.S. District Court of for the District of South Dakota |
Donald James Porter | L.L.B. 1943 | Chief Judge, U.S. District Court for the District of South Dakota. |
Andrew Wendell Bogue | L.L.B. 1947 | Chief Judge, U.S. District Court for the District of South Dakota |
John Bailey Jones | L.L.B. 1953 | Chief Judge, U.S. District Court for the District of South Dakota. |
Richard Howard Battey | L.L.B. 1953 | Chief Judge, U.S. District Court for the District of South Dakota, presiding judge of 'Sue' Dinosaur Case. |
Lawrence Leroy Piersol | J.D. 1965 | Chief Judge, U.S. District Court for the District of South Dakota. |
Jeffrey Lynn Viken | J.D. 1977 | current Chief Judge, U.S. District Court for the District of South Dakota. 2013–present. |
Daneta Wollmann | J.D. 2003 | current Judge, U.S. District Court for the District of South Dakota. 2018–present. |
United States Court of Appeals
Roger Leland Wollman | J.D. 1962 | Chief Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit |
United States House of Representatives
William Williamson | L.L.B. 1905 | 22nd U.S. Representative from South Dakota. |
Royal Cleaves Johnson | L.L.B. 1906 | 19th U.S. Representative from South Dakota, and highly decorated WWI veteran while he was a member of Congress. |
Ellis Yarnal Berry | L.L.B. 1927 | 28th U.S. Representative from South Dakota. |
Harold Lovre | L.L.B. 1927 | 27th U.S. Representative from South Dakota. |
Frank E. Denholm | L.L.B. 1959 | 31st U.S. Representative from South Dakota. |
Bill Janklow | J.D. 1966 | 39th U.S. Representative from South Dakota. |
James Abourezk | J.D. 1966 | 32nd U.S. Representative, author of the Indian Child Welfare Act, and first Lebanese-American member of Congress. |
Tim Johnson | J.D. 1975 | U.S. Representative from South Dakota. |
United States Tax Court
Diane Kroupa | J.D. 1981 | Judge, United States Tax Court and Chief Judge, Minnesota Tax Court |
United States Senate
Joseph H. Bottum | L.L.B. 1927 | 19th U.S. Senator from South Dakota |
James Abourezk | J.D. 1966 | 21st U.S. Senator from South Dakota and first Arab-American member of Congress. |
Tim Johnson | J.D. 1975 | 25th U.S. Senator from South Dakota. |
United States Military
Royal C. Johnson | L.L.B. 1906 | U.S. Lieutenant, Distinguished Service Cross recipient and Croix de Guerre with gold star from the Republic of France. |
Leslie Jensen | L.L.B. 1921 | U.S. Colonel in Pacific Theater of WWII |
George E. "Bud" Day | L.L.B. 1949 | U.S. General, Medal of Honor recipient, most highly decorated military officer since Douglas MacArthur, and POW cell-mate with John McCain |
Gregory J. Stoltenburg | J.D. 1995 | U.S. Lt. Colonel and current Presiding Judge of the Third Circuit Court of South Dakota, 2015–present. |
See also
References
- ↑ As of June 30, 2015. "U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 Endowment Market Value and Change in Endowment Market Value from FY 2014 to FY 2015" (PDF). National Association of College and University Business Officers and Commonfund Institute. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-01-31. Retrieved 2016-06-11.
- 1 2 "J.D. Enrollment By School" (PDF). American Bar Association. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
- ↑ "2018 Best Law Schools Ranked". usnews.com. US News & World Report. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
- ↑ South Dakota Codified Laws. West. pp. SD Sup Ct Rule 3 (1973), SDCL 16-16-6.1 (1983 Supp) (amended by 1983 SD Sess Laws ch 398 (Supreme Court Rule 82-25), repealed by 1987 SD Sess Laws ch 406 (Supreme Court Rule 86-32)).
- ↑ June, Daniel,"USD Hires Their Interim Dean into Permanent Role"
- 1 2 Pfankuch, Bart. "University of South Dakota Law School facing challenges but seeing opportunities". capjournal.com. The Capitol Journal.
- ↑ Raposa, Megan. "More change for USD law school as dean steps down". argusleader.com. Argus Leader.
- ↑ "A Brief Sketch" (PDF). University of South Dakota School of Law. Retrieved August 2, 2011.
- ↑ "2018 Best Law Schools Ranked". usnews.com. US News & World Report. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
- ↑ Best Value Law Schools, The National Jurist, retrieved May 5, 2014
- ↑ "Best Law Schools for Government and Public Interest Career Placement". The National Law Journal. Retrieved May 11, 2014.
- ↑ "Employment Statistics" (PDF).