Main Content
South Dakota AG takes plea deal after fatally striking man with his car. Ultimately impeached and removed from office (Supplemental Reading)
That is a scenario of AG vs Governor vs Law Enforcement vs Legislature vs party. The facts -- which do not reflect well on the AG of South Dakota -- present another example of the importance of putting ethical considerations above politics. It also poses potential conflicts between the AG and the rest of state government.
After SD AG Jason Ravnsborgs' hit-and-run fatal car accident, Governor Noem called in the North Dakota state police to investigate and immediately called for the AG's resignation and impeachment. No special prosecutor was appointed, however, and Ravnsborgs refused to resign. He negotiated misdemeanor pleas with the DA and held on to his job while waiting on impeachment to begin. As impeachment proceeded -- including a trial in the SD Senate -- the AG continued to hold office, managing investigations of police shootings and handling criminal appeals, habeus cases and parole hearings -- all while being on probation himself.
However, Gov. Noem is a powerful force in SD and the SD Senate ultimately convicted the AG and removed him from office. The lead impeachment prosecutor is now the interim AG.
This book, and all H2O books, are Creative Commons licensed for sharing and re-use with the exception of certain excerpts. Any excerpts from the Restatements of the Law, Principles of the Law, and the Model Penal Code are copyright by The American Law Institute. Excerpts are reproduced with permission, not as part of a Creative Commons license.