The Appellate Division
Division Director - Deputy Attorney General Sarah L. Thorne
The Appellate Division consists of a Deputy Attorney General and 11 Assistant Attorneys General.
Responsibilities:
- Represent the state in all criminal appeals before the South Dakota Supreme Court
- Defend state and federal habeas corpus cases
- Habeas corpus is a lawsuit brought by a prisoner to test the legality of detention. It is, in effect, a second appeal. State habeas corpus petitions are generally defended by local state's attorneys at the trial court level, while the Appellate Division defends such actions before the South Dakota Supreme Court, the United States District Court, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court.
- Represent state agencies, officers, or employees in administrative hearings and litigation
- Appellate attorneys represent state agencies, officers, or employees in administrative hearings and litigation, either as agency counsel or as hearing examiner.
- Provide legal advice and counsel to state agencies
Contact Information
Deputy Attorney General Sarah L. Thorne
1302 E Hwy 14 Suite 1
Pierre, SD 57501
email: Sarah.Thorne@state.sd.us
Other Appellate Lawyers:
- Jacob R. Dempsey
- Stephen Gemar
- Erin E. Handke
- Jennifer Jorgenson
- Shale R. Kramme
- John M. Strohman
- Paul S. Swedlund
- Matthew W. Templar