South Dakota Speaker of the House Spencer Gosch (Glenham, District 23) has released a new amendment to House Resolution 7001 which lays out the articles of impeachment of Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg.
Gosch’s amendment removes the articles and states:
“After a conviction, or plea of guilty, or nolo contendere, or acquittal in case number 34MAG21-00001, State v. Jason Ravnsborg, the House of Representatives may evaluate whether articles of impeachment against Jason Ravnsborg, Attorney General of the State of South Dakota, are necessary and proceed accordingly.”
“Our proceedings need to be fair and transparent. In light of the recent court order issued by the Honorable John Brown, we have some concerns on what our abilities are in a public proceeding,” said Gosch.
On February 25, 2021, the sixth circuit court issued an order precluding disclosure of criminal investigation information after Governor Kristi Noem’s release of evidence regarding the criminal charges in The State of South Dakota V. Jason Ravnsborg. The order stops Governor Noem and all members of state government from releasing any evidence relating to the criminal case relating to the September death of Joseph Boever in Hyde County.
When asked about the change in direction from his previous release, Gosch says, “The recent court order complicates things, and the best way for the legislature to proceed at this time is to allow things to play out in the courts first. Once the courts have concluded their business, the legislature would be able to move openly and without delay or interference.”
Majority Leader Kent Peterson (Salem, District 19) says, “I think that it is clear that Judge Brown’s intent was to honor the right to due process, and a premature public proceeding might hinder that.”
Minority Leader Jamie Smith (Sioux Falls, District 15) says, “It’s important that we proceed with the impeachment of Jason Ravnsborg, but we need to allow the courts to do their job as well.”
The Legislature would need to convene a special session to take up matters of impeachment, which would require 2/3 of the members of both chambers to agree.
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