The University of South Dakota School of Law also known as University of South Dakota Knudson School of Law or USD Law in

Vermillion, South Dakota Vermillion ( lkt, Waséoyuze; "The Place Where Vermilion is Obtained") is a city in and the county seat of Clay County. It is in the southeastern corner of South Dakota, United States, and is the state's 12th-largest city. According to the 2020 ...

, United States, is a professional school of the

University of South Dakota The University of South Dakota (USD) is a public research university in Vermillion, South Dakota. Established by the Dakota Territory legislature in 1862, 27 years before the establishment of the state of South Dakota, USD is the flagship univ ...

and the only law school in the state of South Dakota. Established in 1901, by U.S. Ambassador

Bartlett Tripp Bartlett Tripp (July 15, 1839 – December 8, 1911) was a diplomat, Chief Justice of the Dakota Territory Supreme Court, first professor of the University of South Dakota College of Law and first President of the South Dakota Bar Association. H ...

and U.S. Senator

Thomas Sterling Thomas Sterling (February 21, 1851August 26, 1930) was an American lawyer, politician, and academic who served as a member of the United States Senate and the first dean of the University of South Dakota College of Law. A Republican, he serv ...

. The law school is home to approximately 168 students and has more than 3,000 alumni. With 168 J.D. candidates, it is currently the second-smallest law school and smallest public law school student population among the

American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. Founded in 1878, the ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of acad ...

accredited law schools. The University of South Dakota School of Law has produced 8

Governors of South Dakota The governor of South Dakota is the head of government of the U.S. state of South Dakota. The current governor is Republican Kristi Noem, serving since 2019. The governor has the power to sign or veto laws, and to call the Legislative Assembly into ...

including as well as other key figures important to the development of the state, many judges of the

South Dakota Supreme Court The South Dakota Supreme Court is the highest court in the state of South Dakota. It is composed of a chief justice and four associate justices appointed by the List of Governors of South Dakota, governor. One justice is selected from each of five ...

and the

U.S. District Court for the District of South Dakota The United States District Court for the District of South Dakota (in case citations, D.S.D.) is the United States District Court or the Federal district court, whose jurisdiction for issues pertaining to federal law or diversity for the state of ...

, 13 members of the

U.S. Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is Bicameralism, bicameral, composed of a lower body, the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives, and an upper body, ...

, 19 Attorneys General of South Dakota, and 14 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.

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

, 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 William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until his assassination in 1901. As a politician he led a realignment that made his Republican Party largely dominant in ...

, his friend and

Albany Law School Albany Law School is a private law school in Albany, New York. It was founded in 1851 and is the oldest independent law school in the nation. It is accredited by the American Bar Association and has an affiliation agreement with University at Al ...

classmate, but was overlooked in lieu of then-Governor of New York

Teddy Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

. 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 last Chief Justice of the Dakota Territory Supreme Court. Tripp and his son-in-law

Charles Hall Dillon Charles Hall Dillon (December 18, 1853 – September 15, 1929) was a member of the United States House of Representatives from South Dakota (1913–19). He later served on the South Dakota Supreme Court. He was born near Jasper, Indiana in 1853. ...

, 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

not overlooked him for

Vice President of the United States The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest officer in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. The vice ...

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

South_Dakota_Congressional_Delegation_87th_Congress_1961-1963

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 George Theodore Mickelson (July 23, 1903 – February 28, 1965) was an American lawyer, 16th Attorney General of South Dakota and 18th Governor of South Dakota, and a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Distri ...

, E.Y. Berry, Joseph Bottum, and

Harold Lovre Harold Orrin Lovre (January 30, 1904 – January 17, 1972) was an American Republican who was elected as a member of the United States House of Representatives. Early life and education Lovre was born in Toronto, South Dakota. He was married to ...

. A stronger class did not come until 1975, when USD Law produced Steven L. Zinter,

David Gilbertson David Gilbertson (born October 29, 1949) is the former Chief Justice of the South Dakota Supreme Court. Early life and education Gilbertson attended South Dakota State University, graduating in 1972 with a Bachelor of Science in Geography. He th ...

, Glen A. Severson,

Steve T. Kirby Steven Thomas Kirby (born March 26, 1952) was the 35th Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota. He is a member of local, state, and national boards of directors. Early life and education Kirby graduated with a bachelor of science degree in politi ...

, 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 The United States deputy attorney general is the second-highest-ranking official in the United States Department of Justice and oversees the day-to-day operation of the Department. The deputy attorney general acts as attorney general during the ...

from the Nixon Administration, Ralph E. Erickson.

1984-2016

In 1984, South Dakota Supreme Court abolished the nearly century old practice of

diploma privilege In the United States, the diploma privilege is a method for lawyers to be admitted to the bar (i.e. authorized to practice law) without taking a bar examination. Wisconsin is the only jurisdiction that currently allows diploma privilege as an alt ...

, which previously admitted School of Law graduates into South Dakota bar without examination. Also in 1984,

Camden 28 The Camden 28 were a group of leftist, Catholic, anti-Vietnam War activists who in 1971 planned and executed a raid on a draft board in Camden, New Jersey, United States. The raid resulted in a high-profile criminal trial of the activists tha ...

member and Indian Law scholar Frank Pommersheim joined the faculty. From 1993 until 2011 Barry Vickrey, a Vanderbilt law alumnus, served as Dean of the School of Law. During Vickrey's tenure, noted federalist professor Patrick Garry joined the faculty in 2003. Former CEO of the

Mayo Clinic The Mayo Clinic () is a nonprofit American academic medical center focused on integrated health care, education, and research. It employs over 4,500 physicians and scientists, along with another 58,400 administrative and allied health staff, ...

Mike Myers Michael John Myers OC (born May 25, 1963) is a Canadian actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. His accolades include seven MTV Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. In 2002, he was awarded a star on the Hollyw ...

served on the faculty as an elder law professor. Myers, known for his eccentric behavior, resigned in 2012 and ran for Governor of South Dakota in the next election. In 2013, Thomas Earl Geu a

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

law alumnus, was hired from his previous position of interim dean into full dean.

2016-present

In June 2017, George "Mark" Mickelson, son and grandson of alumnus George S. Mickelson and

chaired the USD Law Task Force to determine if the location of the School of Law should be moved to

Sioux Falls, South Dakota Sioux Falls () is the most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the 130th-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha County and also extends into Lincoln County to the south, which continues up ...

. The USD Law Task Force voted 8–5 to keep the School of Law in Vermilion, South Dakota, but would develop non-degree programs there. On March 20, 2018, Thomas Geu announced his intentions to resign as dean of the School of Law. Neil Fulton, the Federal Public Defender for the District of South Dakota and District of North Dakota, became the new dean of the School of Law. On May 15, 2020, the council of the American Bar Association's Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar met remotely and determined this school and nine others had significant noncompliance with Standard 316. This Standard was revised in 2019 to provide that at least 75% of an accredited law school's graduates who took a bar exam must pass one within two years of graduation. The school was asked to submit a report by Feb. 1, 2021; and, if the council did not find the report demonstrated compliance, the school would be asked to appear before the council at its May, 2021 meeting. On February 26, 2021, the ABA’s council posted that the school was now in compliance with the standard.

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. The '' U.S. News & World Report''

law school rankings Law school rankings are a specific subset of college and university rankings dealing specifically with law schools. Like college and university rankings, law school rankings can be based on empirical data, subjectively-perceived qualitative dat ...

placed South Dakota at 65th of the law schools in the U.S. in 2010. In 2013, ''The National Jurist'' listed South Dakota Law in the top 5 schools for "Best Value." In 2013, ''

The National Law Journal ''The National Law Journal'' (NLJ) is an American legal periodical founded in 1978. The NLJ was created by Jerry Finkelstein, who envisioned it as a "sibling newspaper" of the '' New York Law Journal''. Originally a tabloid-sized weekly newspa ...

'' listed South Dakota Law #5 for employment in the government and

Public Interest The public interest is "the welfare or well-being of the general public" and society. Overview Economist Lok Sang Ho in his ''Public Policy and the Public Interest'' argues that the public interest must be assessed impartially and, therefore ...

sector, as the law school alumni populates many of the prominent government positions within the state. The ''U.S. News & World Report'' placed South Dakota at 128 of 215 law schools in the U.S. in 2018 and in 2019. For the 2020 ''U.S. News & World Report'' law school rankings placed South Dakota as the 39th best public law school. University of South Dakota School of Law is

accredited Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...

by the

and is a member of the

Association of American Law Schools The Association of American Law Schools (AALS), formed in 1900, is a non-profit organization of 176 law schools in the United States. An additional 19 schools pay a fee to receive services but are not members. AALS incorporated as a 501(c)(3) non ...

. 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 The University of Minnesota Law School is the law school of the University of Minnesota, located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The school confers four law degrees: a Juris Doctor (J.D.), a Master of Laws (LL.M.), a Master of Science in Patent L ...

. 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 of the lawyers of the state.

Noted Faculty

Current

* Patrick Garry, Constitutional Law Professor *

Brendan Johnson Brendan Van Johnson (born June 24, 1975) is an American attorney who served as the 40th United States Attorney for the District of South Dakota. He is the son of former U.S. Senator Tim Johnson and currently is a partner at Robins Kaplan LLP, a ...

, adjunct Law Professor and former U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota. *

Myanna Dellinger Myanna Dellinger is a Danish-American law professor, climate change and international law specialist, and Fulbright Program, Fulbright Scholar. Early life Myanna Dellinger was born and raised in Denmark. Her blue-collar worker, blue-collar p ...

, Law Professor and international relations specialist * Neil Fulton, current Dean and former Federal Public Defender for

United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit (in case citations, 8th Cir.) is a United States federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the following United States district courts: * Eastern District of Arkansas * Western Dist ...

and Chief of Staff to Governor

Mike Rounds Marion Michael Rounds (born October 24, 1954) is an American businessman and politician serving as the junior United States senator from South Dakota since 2015. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 31st governor of South Dakota ...

Former

, 1st Dean of the College of Law and U.S. Senator from South Dakota. Namesake of ''Sterling Honors''. *

, 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

during the

Nixon Administration Richard Nixon's tenure as the List of presidents of the United States, 37th president of the United States began with First inauguration of Richard Nixon, his first inauguration on January 20, 1969, and ended when he resigned on August 9, 1974 ...

. *

, 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 The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) (, codified in part at ) is a U.S. federal tax and labor law that establishes minimum standards for pension plans in private industry. It contains rules on the federal income tax eff ...

scholar, and counsel in '' Sereboff v. Mid Atlantic Medical Services, Inc''. *

, Professor of Law, CEO of

, and candidate for Governor of South Dakota. * Frank Pommersheim, American Indian Law Professor,

member, Chief Judge for the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribal Court of Appeals and the Chief Justice of the Rosebud Sioux Supreme Court

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, nineteen 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 The United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit (in case citations, 8th Cir.) is a United States federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the following United States district courts: * Eastern District of Arkansas * Western Distr ...

Roger Leland Wollman Roger Leland Wollman (born May 29, 1934) is a Senior United States Circuit Judge and former Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. He is the older brother of Harvey L. Wollman, former Governor of South Dakota. ...

and the Chief Judge of the

, Jeffrey L. Viken. File:WilliamWilliamson.jpg, William Williamson
L.L.B. 1905

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from South Dakota File:RoyalCJohnson.jpg, Royal C. Johnson
L.L.B. 1906

from South Dakota,
8th

Attorney General of South Dakota The Attorney General of South Dakota is the state attorney general of the U.S. state of South Dakota. The attorney general is elected by popular vote to a four-year term and holds an executive position as the state's chief legal officer. In 1992, ...

,
Most highly decorated member of Congress File:George T. Mickelson.jpg,

L.L.B. 1927
Chief Judge

,
18th

Governor of South Dakota The governor of South Dakota is the head of government of South Dakota. The governor is elected to a four-year term in even years when there is no presidential election. The current governor is Kristi Noem, a member of the Republican Party who t ...

,
16th

File:JoeRobbie1.jpg,

Joe Robbie Joseph Robbie (July 7, 1916 – January 7, 1990) was an American attorney, politician, and the principal founder of the Miami Dolphins. Early life Robbie was raised in Sisseton, South Dakota, the second of five children. His father was a Lebanes ...

L.L.B 1947
Founder-owner of the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...

,
2x

Super Bowl The Super Bowl is the annual final playoff game of the National Football League (NFL) to determine the league champion. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966, replacing the NFL Championship Game. Since 2022, the game ...

Champion. File:Col. George E. Bud Day official portrait.jpg, Bud Day
L.L.B. 1949

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

recipient,
Most highly decorated U.S. Military officer in modern history. File:Portrait of Frank Leroy Farrar.jpg, Frank Farrar
L.L.B. 1953
24th

& 22nd

File:Richard Howard Battey.jpg,

Richard Battey Richard Howard Battey (October 16, 1929 – May 6, 2017) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of South Dakota. Education and career Battey was born in Aberdeen, South Dakota. After attending ...

L.L.B. 1953
Chief Judge,

File:Roger Leland Wollman.jpg,

J.D. 1962
Chief Judge,

,
4th Chief Justice,

File:George S. Mickelson.jpeg, George S. Mickelson
J.D. 1965
28th

File:Lawrence Piersol.jpg,

Lawrence Piersol Lawrence Leroy Piersol (born October 21, 1940) is a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of South Dakota. Early life and education Born in Vermillion, South Dakota, Piersol received a Bachelor ...

J.D. 1965
Chief Judge,

File:James Abourezk.jpg,

James Abourezk James George Abourezk (born February 24, 1931) is an American attorney and Democratic politician who served as a United States senator and United States representative from South Dakota. He did not seek re-election to the US Senate in 1978. He w ...

J.D. 1966

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

from South Dakota, First Arab-American member of Congress,
Author,

Indian Child Welfare Act The Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 (ICWA) ((), codified at Indian Child Welfare Act, (, )) is a United States federal law that governs jurisdiction over the removal of American Indian children from their families in custody, foster care and ...

. File:Tim Johnson official portrait, 2009.jpg, Tim Johnson
J.D. 1975

from South Dakota File:David Gilbertson.jpg,

J.D. 1975
9th Chief Justice,

File:Jeffrey L. Viken.jpeg, Jeffrey L. Viken
J.D. 1977
Chief Judge,

File:James McMahon US Attorney.jpg, James E. McMahon
J.D. 1977
38th U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota File:US District Attorney Randy Seiler.jpg,

Randy Seiler Randolph John Seiler (born July 1, 1946) is an American attorney and veteran serving as the chair of the Democratic Party of South Dakota since 2019. He served as the 41st United States Attorney for the District of South Dakota from 2015 until ...

J.D. 1980
41st U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota File:US District Attorney Marty Jackley.png,

Marty Jackley Martin J. Jackley (born October 13, 1970) is an American attorney and politician who is currently serving as the Attorney General of South Dakota since 2023, having previously served from 2009 to 2019. He assumed office as Attorney General again ...

J.D. 1995
30th

,
39th U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota File:David Lust.jpg,

David Lust David Ellwood Lust (March 22, 1968 – July 23, 2021) was an American politician who served as a member of the South Dakota House of Representatives representing District 34 from January 2007 until January 2015 and again from September 2016 unti ...

J.D. 1997
Majority Leader of the

South Dakota House of Representatives The South Dakota House of Representatives is the lower house of the South Dakota Legislature. It consists of 70 members, two from each legislative district. Two of the state's 35 legislative districts, Districts 26 and 28, are each subdivided into ...

File:Ron A. Parsons Jr. Official Portrait.png, Ron A. Parsons Jr.
J.D. 1997
U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota File:JasonHeadshot.jpg,

Jason Ravnsborg Jason Richard Ravnsborg (born April 12, 1976) is an American attorney and politician. A Republican, he served as Attorney General of South Dakota from 2019 until his removal in 2022. Ravnsborg ran for the U.S. Senate in 2014, losing in the Repub ...

J.D. 2001

Academia

Attorneys General

Business

Governors and Lieutenant Governors

State Court of Appeals Judges

State Supreme Court Justices

United States District Attorneys

United States District Court

United States Court of Appeals

United States House of Representatives

United States Tax Court

United States Senate

United States Military

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:South Dakota Law, University Of Educational institutions established in 1901 1901 establishments in South Dakota Law schools in South Dakota

Law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

Education in Clay County, South Dakota