Career prosecutors, magistrate judge appointed to circuit bench in Sioux Falls area

From left, Mandi Mowery, Jeff Clapper and Eric Johnson. The three were appointed to the circuit court bench in July 2024 by Gov. Kristi Noem. (Photos courtesy of Gov. Noem's office)

Gov. Kristi Noem has appointed two prosecutors and a serving magistrate judge to the circuit court bench in the Sioux Falls area.

Noem announced the appointments to the Second Judicial Circuit in a Tuesday news release. The Second Circuit encompasses Minnehaha and Lincoln counties, making it one of the smallest geographically but the largest in terms of caseloads.

The circuit added two new judge positions during the 2024 legislative session. South Dakota Supreme Court Chief Justice Steven Jensen said in his 2024 State of the Judiciary message that the positions are necessary to address the circuit’s swelling docket.

The circuit now has 14 circuit judges, who handle felony cases and most civil cases, and five magistrate judges, who manage misdemeanor caseloads and small claims.

Noem’s appointments fill those new positions, as well as the position recently vacated by Camela Theeler, who is now a federal judge for the U.S. District Court of South Dakota.

The new judges are:

• Mandi Mowery, a New Underwood native and Baylor University School of Law graduate and 17-year veteran of the Minnehaha County State’s Attorney’s Office. Mowery leads a felony prosecution team for the office.
• Jeff Clapper, a University of South Dakota Knudson School of Law graduate and 22-year prosecutor with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Sioux Falls. Clapper led prosecutions for sex trafficking and child sexual abuse for 15 years.
• Eric Johnson, a Vermillion native and University of Nebraska-Lincoln Law School graduate who worked alongside Mowery as a prosecutor prior to his appointment as magistrate judge in 2016. He ran unsuccessfully for a circuit judgeship in the 2022 general election.

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