South Dakota Law And Government

The state of South Dakota has three branches of government: executive, legislative, and judicial.

The current governor is M. Michael Rounds.

Currently, there are 35 members of the state Senate and 70 members of the House of Representatives. The state is composed of 35 legislative districts. Voters elect 1 senator and 2 representatives from each district. The legislature meets once a year on the second Tuesday in January, and also if the governor calls a special session.

The state Supreme Court is the highest court in South Dakota and the court of last resort for state appellate actions. The chief justice and four justices comprise the South Dakota Supreme Court. South Dakota is divided into seven judicial circuits. There are 39 circuit judges serving in the seven circuits. Circuit courts are the state's trial courts of general jurisdiction. There are 12 full-time and 3 part-time magistrate judges in the seven circuits. Magistrate courts assist the circuit courts in disposing of misdemeanor criminal cases and minor civil actions. These courts of limited jurisdiction make the judicial system more accessible to the public by providing a means of direct court contact for the average citizen.

South Dakota is represented at the federal level by Senator Tim Johnson, Senator John Thune, and Representative Stephanie Herseth Sandlin.

South Dakota politics are generally dominated by the Republican Party, and the state has not supported a Democratic presidential candidate since 1964 — especially notable when one considers that George McGovern, the Democratic nominee in 1972, was from South Dakota. In 2004, George W. Bush won the state's three electoral votes with 59.9% of the vote.[20] Additionally, a Democrat has not won the governorship since 1978. As of 2006, Republicans hold a 10% registration advantage over Democrats and hold majorities in both the state House of Representatives and Senate.[21][22][23] All but one of the current statewide elected officers are Republicans.

Despite the state's general Republican and conservative leanings, Democrats have found success in various state-wide elections, most notably in those involving South Dakota's congressional representatives in Washington. Two of the three current members of the state's congressional delegation are Democrats, and until his electoral defeat in 2004 Senator Tom Daschle served as both senator for South Dakota as well as the senate minority (briefly majority) leader.[24]

Contemporary political issues in South Dakota include the legality of the state lottery, South Dakota's relatively low rankings in education spending (particularly teacher pay), and recent legislative attempts to ban abortion in the state.[25][26][27]

State capitol building in Pierre