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 se ...

. 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 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 governor. One justice is selected from each of five geographic appointment districts. ...

and the U.S. District Court for the District of South Dakota, 13 members of the U.S. Congress, 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 Royal Cleaves Johnson (October 3, 1882 – August 2, 1939) was a U.S. Representative from South Dakota and a highly decorated veteran of World War I while he was still a member of Congress. Despite voting against United States declaration of war ...

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 t ...

, 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 A ...

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 The Dakota Territorial Supreme Court was the highest court of the Dakota Territory, then an organized incorporated territory of the United States. It was the first Territorial Supreme Court in American history, and was established under Article One ...

. 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

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 p ...

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, E.Y. Berry, Joseph Bottum, and Harold Lovre. A stronger class did not come until 1975, when USD Law produced

Steven L. Zinter Steven Lee Zinter (September 18, 1950 – October 30, 2018) was an American lawyer who served as an associate justice of the South Dakota Supreme Court. Early life and education Zinter was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on September 18, 1950, ...

, David Gilbertson,

Glen A. Severson Glen A. Severson (born March 9, 1949) is a former justice of the South Dakota Supreme Court. Early life and education He received a Bachelor of Science from the University of South Dakota in 1972, and graduated from the University of South Dakota ...

, 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 Ralph E. Erickson (born October 3, 1928) is an American lawyer who served as the 11th Deputy Attorney General of the United States from 1972 to 1973. Biography Erickson was born and raised in Frewsburg, NY. He attended Cornell University and grad ...

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 alte ...

, which previously admitted School of Law graduates into South Dakota bar without examination. Also in 1984, Camden 28 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 Patrick Garry (born July 15, 1955), is an American law professor, author, and is the director of the Hagemann Center for Legal & Public Policy Research. Early life and education Patrick M. Garry attended the University of Minnesota where he subs ...

joined the faculty in 2003. Former CEO of the Mayo Clinic,

Mike Myers Michael John Myers Order of Canada, OC (born May 25, 1963) is a Canadian actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. His accolades include seven MTV Movie & TV Awards, MTV Awards, a Primetime Emmy Awards, Primetime Emmy Award, and a Screen Acto ...

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 so ...

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 George Speaker Mickelson (January 31, 1941April 19, 1993) was an American politician and Vietnam War veteran who served as the 28th governor of South Dakota from 1987 until his death in 1993 in a plane crash near Zwingle, Iowa. His father, Ge ...

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 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 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 o ...

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 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) no ...

. 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 Law ( ...

. 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

, Constitutional Law Professor * Brendan Johnson, adjunct Law Professor and former

U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota The United States Attorney for the District of South Dakota is the United States Attorney responsible for representing the federal government in the United States District Court for the District of South Dakota. By statute, the U.S. Attorney is r ...

. * Myanna Dellinger, 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 Di ...

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 This is a list of ambassadors of the United States to Austria. The United States first established diplomatic relations with Austria in 1838 during the time of the Austrian Empire. Relations between the United States have been continuous since ...

, last Chief Justice of

, and first president of the South Dakota Bar Association. *

, 5th Dean of the College of Law and 11th Deputy Attorney General of the United States during the

Nixon Administration Richard Nixon's tenure as the 37th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 1969, and ended when he resigned on August 9, 1974, in the face of almost certain impeachment because of the Watergate Scanda ...

. * 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 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 ...

scholar, and counsel in ''

Sereboff v. Mid Atlantic Medical Services, Inc ''Sereboff v. Mid Atlantic Medical Services, Inc.'', 547 U.S. 356 (2006), was a case decided by the Supreme Court of the United States involving the ability of an Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) plan fiduciary to recover medical ...

''. *

, Professor of Law, CEO of Mayo Clinic, and candidate for Governor of South Dakota. * 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

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, Roger Leland Wollman and the Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of South Dakota, Jeffrey L. Viken. File:WilliamWilliamson.jpg, William Williamson
L.L.B. 1905
U.S. Representative from South Dakota File:RoyalCJohnson.jpg,

L.L.B. 1906
U.S. Representative 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 199 ...

,
Most highly decorated member of Congress File:George T. Mickelson.jpg, George T. Mickelson
L.L.B. 1927
Chief Judge U.S. District Court for the District of South Dakota,
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 pl ...

,
2x Super Bowl 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 Frank Leroy Farrar (April 2, 1929 – October 31, 2021) was an American politician who was the 24th governor of South Dakota. A Republican from Britton, he served as the state's attorney general from 1963 to 1969, and as governor from 1969 to ...

L.L.B. 1953
24th

& 22nd

File:Richard Howard Battey.jpg, Richard Battey
L.L.B. 1953
Chief Judge, U.S. District Court for the District of South Dakota File:Roger Leland Wollman.jpg, Roger Leland Wollman
J.D. 1962
Chief Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit,
4th Chief Justice,

File:George S. Mickelson.jpeg,

J.D. 1965
28th

File:Lawrence Piersol.jpg, Lawrence Piersol
J.D. 1965
Chief Judge, U.S. District Court for the District of South Dakota File:James Abourezk.jpg, James Abourezk
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 ...

& U.S. Representative 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 an ...

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

,
U.S. Representative from South Dakota File:David Gilbertson.jpg, David Gilbertson
J.D. 1975
9th Chief Justice,

File:Jeffrey L. Viken.jpeg, Jeffrey L. Viken
J.D. 1977
Chief Judge, U.S. District Court for the District of South Dakota File:James McMahon US Attorney.jpg, James E. McMahon
J.D. 1977
38th

File:US District Attorney Randy Seiler.jpg, Randy Seiler
J.D. 1980
41st

File:US District Attorney Marty Jackley.png, Marty Jackley
J.D. 1995
30th

,
39th

File:David Lust.jpg, David Lust
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 in ...

File:Ron A. Parsons Jr. Official Portrait.png,

Ron A. Parsons Jr. Ronald A. Parsons Jr. is an American attorney who served as the United States Attorney for the District of South Dakota from 2018 to 2021. Early life and education Parsons Jr. graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Minnesota ...

J.D. 1997

File:JasonHeadshot.jpg, Jason Ravnsborg
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 Education in Clay County, South Dakota