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Two federal judge confirmations mean first full legal state roster since 2021

Jackie Hendry
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SDPB

South Dakota at last has a full court staff with the approval of two new federal judges for the district. Both were supported with large, bipartisan majorities.

The newly confirmed judges are Camela Theeler and Eric Schulte, who both received Senate approval this week. Theeler previously served as a circuit court judge, and Schulte is a long-time attorney.

South Dakota circuit court judge Camela Theeler speaks in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee as they consider her nomination to be a U.S. District Court Judge for the District of South Dakota on March 6, 2024.
Senate Judiciary Committee
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U.S. Senate Committee Hearing Channels
South Dakota circuit court judge Camela Theeler speaks in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee as they consider her nomination to be a U.S. District Court Judge for the District of South Dakota on March 6, 2024.

Carl Tobias is a University of Richmond law professor. He said the pair saw strong support through the process.

“They both were very strongly confirmed in terms of their votes for the South Dakota district, and that’s very good for the federal courts and for the state," Tobias said.

Schulte was approved on an already wide 61-33 vote, while Theeler was approved on a vote of 90-4. Tobias said the state's Congressional delegation fought hard for the pair.

“Sens. Thune and Rounds worked very closely with the White House in recommending the two nominees who they thought were very strong, and I think most people would say they were," Tobias said. "So, I think it went very smoothly.”

Though Tobias didn’t undersell the contributions of the nominees themselves.

Sioux Falls attorney Eric Schulte speaks at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on March 6, 2024.
Senate Judiciary Committee
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U.S. Senate Committee Hearing Channels
Sioux Falls attorney Eric Schulte speaks at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on March 6, 2024. Schulte is nominated to be a U.S. District Court judge for the District of South Dakota.

“Their success was attributable to the experience of the judges," Tobias said. "Of the people confirmed, both of them are very experienced lawyers in practice, and Judge Theeler on bench. The committee votes were positive, and then the confirmation votes were very strong.”

With these two appointments, the state has a full judging roster at the district level for the first time since 2021.

C.J. Keene is a Rapid City-based journalist covering the legal system, education, and culture