There’s no amount of spin that can change the fact that President Biden and Border Czar Harris created an unprecedented disaster at the border, made possible by their own failed policies and lack of leadership. pic.twitter.com/sU2fz64YGl
— Senator John Thune (@SenJohnThune) July 30, 2024
Gov. Noem Appoints Judges to the 2nd Judicial Circuit Court
PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Kristi Noem announced the appointment of Mandi Mowery, Jeff Clapper, and the Honorable Eric Johnson to the 2nd Judicial Circuit Court.
“The Judicial branch is fundamental in establishing law, order, and justice in American society,” said Governor Noem. “Upholding the Constitution is of utmost importance for every branch of government, and this duty carries extra weight with the judiciary. I am confident that Mandi Mowery, Jeff Clapper, and Eric Johnson will lead with excellence as 2nd Judicial Circuit Court judges.”
Mandi Mowery grew up on her family ranch and graduated Valedictorian of her class from New Underwood High School. She obtained magna cum laude honors from the University of South Dakota and received her Juris Doctorate from Baylor Law School. In 2006, Mowery returned home to South Dakota where she joined the Minnehaha County State’s Attorney Office. She began handling misdemeanor cases and eventually joined the felony prosecution division, focusing on narcotics prosecution. Mowery has been a prosecutor in the Minnehaha County State’s Attorney Office for 17 years and currently serves as a Team Lead of one of the felony divisions.
“I am very grateful to Governor Noem for appointing me to the position of Circuit Court Judge and allowing me to serve my State and Community,” said Mandi Mowery. “I endeavor to serve the State of South Dakota and its people with fairness and justice; I will follow the laws as set forth by the people of South Dakota to accomplish those goals.”
In her free time, Mandi enjoys running, reading, and helping raise her two beautiful nieces. A photo of Mowery can be found here.
Jeff Clapper graduated from Creighton University in 1989 and the USD School of Law in 1993. He began his legal career in Sioux Falls at the law firm of Moore, Rasmussen, Kading & Kunstle where he engaged in criminal defense and civil litigation; he continued his involvement in civil litigation at the Boyce, Murphy, McDowell & Greenfield law firm. In 2002, Clapper became an Assistant United States Attorney, where he handled a wide range of cases including bank robberies, financial fraud, violent crime, and sexual assault in Indian Country. For the past 15 years, Clapper’s efforts have focused on prosecuting online child sex predators and sex traffickers. In 2024, he was designated as Senior Litigation Counsel for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Dakota.
“I am extremely grateful to Governor Noem for placing her trust in me to serve the citizens of South Dakota as a judge,” Jeff Clapper remarked. “It is a serious responsibility that I will not take lightly.”
Jeff Clapper has been married to his wife, Cathi, for over 30 years. They have two adult children: Bevin and Vince. A photo of Clapper can be found here.
The Honorable Eric Johnson currently serves as the 2nd Circuit Court Magistrate Judge and the 2nd Circuit Veterans Treatment Court Judge. A native of Vermillion, South Dakota, Johnson attended Augustana College and graduated summa cum laude in 1996. He continued his education at the University of Nebraska College of Law, receiving high distinction. He began his legal career clerking for the Honorable Everett O. Inbody of the Nebraska Court of Appeals. Prior to accepting his current Magistrate Judge appointment, Johnson worked at the Minnehaha County State’s Attorney’s Office.
“I am honored and humbled by my appointment to the circuit court bench and am excited to continue to serve the citizens of the Second Judicial Circuit in this new capacity,” said Eric Johnson. “I want to thank Governor Noem for the appointment. I am so grateful for the confidence she has shown in me, and I plan to do my best to make her proud of this decision.”
Eric Johnson lives in Sioux Falls with his wife, Nicole. Together, they have two children: Emma and Harper. A photo of Johnson can be found here.
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The Davison County Auditor who cited harassment and abuse as a problem that rural county auditors face as a pressing issue has herself now resigned from office to take a job in the private sector. Back in February, Davison County Auditor Susan Kiepke had written an article for the National Association of County Officials pointing out some of the issues that she has to deal with on a day to day basis:
I never know when folks will show up to try to convince our commissioners that the DS850 scanner and tabulator that we use to count ballots has a microchip in it that feeds information to Russia.
We have to dispel other misinformation. It has been alleged that CVRs (Cast Vote Records), as well as audit logs aren’t proprietary, which they currently are in South Dakota.
We’ve been accused of not being bonded properly, not being insured properly, not being transparent.
I could go on, but I think you get the idea.
According to KELOland News, the crazy and the harassment has been never ending. And Susan is tapping out:
Kiepke said the claims of the 2024 June Primary being skewed are false. She added her office dealt with people on a regular basis claiming the results were wrong.
“We just had our first post-election audit in Davison County and it came out 100% accurate and we are still being told that it was done wrong,” Kiepke said.
and..
Kiepke said while her time of being employed at the county is coming to an end, she doesn’t plan on going anywhere.
“The new company will allow me to continue to help at the county wherever I’m needed, so I’ll be around,” Kiepke said.
What does it say about the state of our society when the people we hire to run our elections are doing everything right – yet they are constantly harassed and hounded out of their jobs from doing the exact thing they’ve been hired to do?
Maybe someday we’ll come back from the brink.
Thune: Democrats’ Supreme Court “Reforms” Amount to Changing the Rules in the Middle of the Game
“[I]t seems that my Democrat colleagues are resolved not to learn from history – and are perfectly willing to sacrifice the long-term stability of the Supreme Court for their own short-term political gain.”
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today called out Democrats’ relentless attempts to politicize and undermine the legitimacy of the U.S. Supreme Court. Thune noted that the administration’s most recent ploy would set an incredibly dangerous precedent and undermine the Supreme Court’s independence.
Thune’s remarks below (as prepared for delivery):
“Mr. President, yesterday evening, in the tradition of another Democrat president and his infamous court-packing scheme way back in 1937, President Biden announced a proposal to interfere with the Constitution’s separation of powers and permanently politicize the Supreme Court.
“He dressed it up with appeals to permanent American values.
“But what it all boiled down to, Mr. President, was this:
“Democrats don’t like some of the Supreme Court’s recent decisions.
“And so they’ve decided to change the rules of the game.
“That’s it.
“Mr. President, I’ve disagreed with more than one Supreme Court decision in my time.
“I’ve disagreed with Supreme Court justices nominated by presidents of my own party.
“But I have never thought that my not agreeing with a Supreme Court decision meant that the court itself was illegitimate – or that my party should attempt to change the law to make over the Supreme Court in our image.
“Not so for Democrats.
“The Supreme Court releases a handful of decisions Democrats don’t like, and they decide that the court is illegitimate – and that it’s time to remake the court to their liking.
“More than one Democrat has already introduced legislation in Congress to do so.
“And now, with the president’s announcement yesterday, it’s become clear that those plans have accelerated – and that if Democrats take the White House and Congress in November, we can expect them to lose no time in destroying the court as we know it.
“And while the president’s proposals are troubling enough – a measure to circumvent the Constitution’s lifetime appointments for justices and replace the Supreme Court’s own code of conduct with a code of conduct mandated by Democrat congressmembers – who knows if Democrats will stop there.
“After all, while their proposal would conveniently start by retiring Republican appointees, Democrats would only be able to retire one justice every two years.
“Who’s to say that would be fast enough for Democrats?
“We all know that court-packing – expanding the Supreme Court until you get a sufficient number of justices to endorse your policies – has gained significant traction in Democrat circles.
“Indeed, President Biden’s term-limits proposal is a version of court-packing by another name.
“And it would not surprise me at all if Democrats didn’t stop there.
“Because make no mistake, Mr. President, this is a slippery slope.
“Once you start interfering, there is no going back.
“If the Democrats implement this plan, it is easy to see a future where each subsequent administration acts to ‘return balance’ to the Supreme Court, with the result that the Supreme Court changes wildly from administration to administration, losing all independence and credibility and any resemblance to the Supreme Court as established by the Constitution.
“I’d like to remind my Democrat colleagues of what happened with the filibuster for judicial nominees here in the Senate.
“Back in 2013, Democrats – frustrated that they could not rubber-stamp all of President Obama’s appointees – abolished the filibuster for lower-court nominees.
“It turned out to be a quick step from that to abolishing the filibuster for Supreme Court nominees a few years later.
“And I’m pretty sure I’ve heard more than one of my Democrat colleagues express regret over that 2013 decision.
“But it seems that Democrats are resolved not to learn from history – and are perfectly willing to sacrifice the long-term stability of the Supreme Court for their own short-term political gain.
“Mr. President, even worse than any specific element of President Biden’s proposals yesterday is the incredibly dangerous precedent they would set for meddling in what is supposed to be a separate, independent branch of our government.
“If Democrats were really concerned about impartiality and the rule of law and promoting faith in the Supreme Court, the last thing they would be doing is interfering with the court’s makeup.
“And if there are any Democrats left in Congress who are willing to put the long-term health of our institutions over some temporary political gain, I urge them to join Republicans in opposing this power grab.
“Mr. President, I yield the floor.”
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Delegation Urges Biden to Grant Disaster Declaration Following June Storms and Flooding
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) recently urged President Biden to issue a major disaster declaration for the state of South Dakota following the severe storms and flooding from June 16 through July 8, 2024. Their letter, which was sent Friday, immediately followed Gov. Noem’s major disaster declaration.
“In light of these considerations, we respectfully request that you expeditiously review Gov. Noem’s request and declare a major disaster for relevant areas of our state,” the delegation wrote. “Along with our fellow South Dakotans, we appreciate your consideration of this request and stand ready to assist in any way possible.”
Full letter below:
Dear President Biden:
We write in support of Gov. Kristi Noem’s (R-S.D.) request for a major disaster declaration for the state of South Dakota as a result of severe storms and flooding that occurred June 16 through July 8, 2024.
As Gov. Noem’s request indicates, the catastrophic flooding began on June 16, 2024, resulting from a succession of heavy rainstorms that filled the creeks and rivers that coincide in the southeast corner of the state. The excess water flooded the Niobrara River, the Missouri River, and the Big Sioux River, causing an emergency evacuation of the affected areas before sink holes emerged, houses washed away, and the BNSF Railway railroad bridge connecting North Sioux City, S.D., with Sioux City, Iowa, collapsed into the Big Sioux River. The flooding caused significant damage to public infrastructure, homes, and businesses, and has disrupted the lives of the nearly six thousand residents that live in the North Sioux City and Dakota Dunes areas.
Data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows that the Big Sioux River crested at 44.98 feet, surpassing the previous 2014 record by 7.28 feet. Analysis from the National Weather Service shows the rain event that created this year’s flooding was a 1,000-year event. Eleven river gauges were at record-high levels. This disaster has impacted 25 counties and five tribal nations and caused tens of millions of dollars in damage to public infrastructure, homes, and businesses.
In light of these considerations, we respectfully request that you expeditiously review Gov. Noem’s request and declare a major disaster for relevant areas of our state. Along with our fellow South Dakotans, we appreciate your consideration of this request and stand ready to assist in any way possible.
Sincerely,
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From Facebook:
The SDGOP’s facebook page has a post up citing polling by “polymarket.” The problem? Polymarket.com is a crypto betting market, and not exactly what one might consider a provider of accurate polling.
Well, of course no one should trust polls like this. Not sure how many people, except crypto-bettors would even see this kind of silliness.
Senator John Thune and Senator Mike Rounds have always been well liked in South Dakota. And in one of the most recent polls taken on the topic, both remain in the top ten of the most popular US Senators in the entire country:
Thune is tracking in the top 5 as the #4 most popular Senator in the nation, and Rounds comes tailing by only a whisker, within the margin of error at #6. Which goes to show you that they’re doing something right as the standard bearers for South Dakota in Washington.
For more details:
For Morning Consult’s state-level survey data, weights are applied to each state separately based on age, gender, education, race, homeownership, marital status, presidential voting history and — for a subset of states — race by education as well as an age-by-gender interaction.
Margins of error for responses from all voters in each state range from +/-1 to +/-6 percentage points.
For more detailed information, you can download the 50-state data set for senator approval ratings here.
A Dangerous World Calls for a Strong America
By Sen. John Thune
I often say, “If we don’t get national security right, the rest is just conversation.” In just the last year, we’ve seen our ally Israel come under attack from terrorists, and our own military has been attacked by Iran-backed militias 170 times, all while Russia and China continue their campaigns of aggression and strengthen their alliance with one another. Times like these underscore the need for American strength.
The reality is that we are not as prepared as we should be to address these threats. The weakness that the Biden-Harris administration has shown on the world stage has emboldened our adversaries. At the same time, our military readiness is not where it needs to be to deter aggression. We have service branches that are below their recruitment targets. We have planes that can’t fly and ships that can’t sail because of deferred maintenance. And we have shortages of munitions and weapons.
Last month, my colleagues on the Senate Armed Services Committee put forward a National Defense Authorization Act for next year that takes steps to address the challenges we’re facing. It fully funds deterrence initiatives and strengthens partnerships to counter Russia and China. It makes critical efforts to modernize military technologies and strategies that will define tomorrow’s conflicts. And it authorizes the purchase of new combat vessels, vehicles, and aircraft to upgrade our aging fleets.
I’m particularly proud to report that this bill includes full funding for the next steps of the B-21 mission, including necessary support facilities. The Air Force calls this new plane the future backbone of its bomber force, and I am incredibly proud that its first mission will be hosted at South Dakota’s own Ellsworth Air Force Base. One of my top priorities is making sure that Ellsworth has everything it needs for this critical advancement in our nation’s defense.
The annual defense bill is one of the most important pieces of legislation we consider each year. I believe there should be a sense of urgency about getting it to the floor. My colleague Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) recently released a blueprint for making a generational investment in our military. He noted that our defense budget as a share of our economy has fallen to near record lows, and he proposes a defense buildup similar to President Reagan’s initiative in the 1980s.
We have no time to waste to build up our military, and the first step is getting this year’s defense bill passed in a timely manner. History has shown that weakness invites aggression. The strength of our military is the surest way we have of securing peace, and it must be a priority.
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Delivering Wins for Indian Country
By Rep. Dusty Johnson
July 26, 2024
BIG Update
The assassination attempt on President Trump is a very serious act that should not be overlooked. Congress is working to get to the bottom of this. The House held committee hearings this week to get answers about what happened at the rally in Pennsylvania. The hearings resulted in Kimberly Cheatle stepping down from her position as Director of the Secret Service, after members on both sides of the aisle called for her resignation.
I voted to establish a special task force to investigate and identify ways to strengthen security measures. The bipartisan task force passed the House unanimously – all members agree that we can’t let this major security failure ever happen again.
BIG Idea
In South Dakota, the average life expectancy is 78 years old. But, for Native American enrolled members on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, it’s 58 years. That’s a remarkable 20-year gap. One of the reasons for that is the poor quality of health care in Indian country. The federal government has trust and treaty obligations to address this, but the quality of care is second class. The Indian Health Service (IHS) faces a lack of oversight, questionable financial integrity, staffing needs, and employee shortcomings.
I introduced the Restoring Accountability in the IHS Act to improve the delivery of care for Native Americans relying on IHS by promoting the recruitment and retention of staff, best practices on information-sharing, cultural awareness, and accountability.
This week, I testified in the House Natural Resources Committee on my bill to improve service for Indian country.
Click here or the image above for Johnson’s remarks.
BIG News
The public safety crisis on Indian reservations is serious. Tribal law enforcement agencies are faced with a lack of resources and officers, contributing to long response times and insufficient safety. I’ve requested additional funding for tribal law enforcement, field hearings in Indian country, and introduced legislation to ease the burden on tribal law enforcement.
This week, the House passed the appropriations bill for the Department of Interior which oversees tribal safety programs within the Bureau of Indian Affairs. I fought hard to get an increase in funding, and this package included the following:
Fiscal responsibility is important, so I’m glad these funding increases are done without raising the cost of the bill. We made significant cuts elsewhere to provide resources for essential safety programs. This is a huge win for Indian country.
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