Marty Jackley

Blurred hands are typing on a laptop computer in the dark with illuminated keyboard and illegible mystic program code visible on the screen.

Jackley calls for study and new laws to protect children from AI exploitation

BY: - September 5, 2023

South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley and colleagues from 53 states and territories are asking congressional leaders to create an expert panel on how artificial intelligence is to used to exploit children. “Artificial intelligence has its benefits, but there is also potential for serious harm that we are now experiencing with several investigations in South […]

The South Dakota State Penitentiary in Sioux Falls, as seen on Jan. 9, 2023. (John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight)

Former prison employee’s conviction is a rare occurrence in South Dakota

BY: - September 2, 2023

A 42-year old former correctional officer who pressed his thumb into the neck of a strapped-down, mentally ill prison inmate was convicted by a jury of simple assault against an inmate last month. Cases like those against Joshua S. Westenkirchner, of Harrisburg, are rare in South Dakota. Few correctional officers are charged criminally for assaulting […]

South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley testifies before the House Judiciary Committee on Feb. 22, 2023, at the Capitol in Pierre. (Courtesy of Attorney General's Office)

South Dakotans can now sign up for consumer alerts, attorney general says

BY: - August 30, 2023

South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley announced Wednesday that the public can now receive consumer alerts via email from the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division. The alert system will provide subscribers with information about consumer scams and tips on how to protect against scams, Jackley said in a news release. People can register for the […]

The U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. (Laura Olson/States Newsroom)

Nebraska, South Dakota, Iowa join fight against legal doctrine on federal regulatory authority

BY: - August 7, 2023

LINCOLN — Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers recently joined counterparts in 26 other states in urging the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn or clarify a legal precedent that could have major implications for federal regulatory authority. Nebraska, South Dakota and Iowa are among the 27 states that joined a July 24 filing to the Supreme […]

The Little Nest Child Care and Learning Center in Rapid City. (Seth Tupper/South Dakota Searchlight)

Senator accused of illegally pocketing COVID funds cooperating with state

BY: - August 7, 2023

Attorney General Marty Jackley says a Rapid City state senator accused of illegally accepting more than $600,000 in COVID relief funds is working to resolve the situation. Monday was the Jackley-imposed deadline for Sen. Jessica Castleberry, R-Rapid City, to either pay back the $603,219 in funds she collected for her daycare business, Little Nest Preschool, […]

The federal courthouse in Sioux Falls. (John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight)

Criminal cases point to troubling spread of computer-generated child pornography

BY: - July 24, 2023

A Rapid City man was recently sentenced to six years in federal prison for the possession of computer-generated child pornography. Less than a month before that, another man was found guilty of the same crime, and still another was sentenced to five years for it last October. One other case involving artificial depictions of child […]

Amazon Public Relations Manager Scott Seroka explains a sorting system during a tour of the company's Sioux Falls fulfilment center on Feb. 16, 2023. (John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight)

Impact of landmark sales tax case difficult to calculate five years later

BY: - July 21, 2023

South Dakota has pulled in more than $416 million in sales tax revenue from “remote sellers” since winning a case in the U.S. Supreme Court over the right to collect it. That figure, however, does not represent the financial impact of South Dakota vs. Wayfair, which five years ago paved the way for states all […]

Missing persons posters for Robert "Berta" Enoch, who died shortly after being arrested on April 3, 2023. (Submitted photos)

Deputy cleared of misconduct in death of Native American man in Lake Andes jail

BY: - July 13, 2023

The Charles Mix County sheriff’s deputy who arrested Robert “Berta” Enoch before his death by overdose in a Lake Andes jail will not be reprimanded for his actions. That was the decision of the South Dakota Law Enforcement Officers Standards Commission on Thursday in Pierre during a hearing for 31-year-old Jon Werkmeister.  Enoch, a 35-year-old […]

A sign identifies a polling place during a city and school election on June 6, 2023, in Rapid City. (Seth Tupper/South Dakota Searchlight)

Anti-abortion group sues South Dakota over campaign finance requirements

BY: - June 6, 2023

A Virginia anti-abortion group wants a federal judge to strike down a South Dakota law that requires nonprofit organizations to list their top five donors on political messaging. Students for Life of America is a nonprofit advocacy group launched in 2006, with an aim to educate and connect anti-abortion students with messaging tools and one […]

A stock dam reflects the clear blue sky of spring and rolling grasslands of the Great Plains near White River, South Dakota. (Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight)

Federal judge temporarily blocks new Biden WOTUS rule in two dozen states

BY: - April 12, 2023

A federal judge in North Dakota on Wednesday blocked in 24 states — including South Dakota — the Biden administration’s newly effective definition of waters that can be regulated under the Clean Water Act. U.S. District Judge Daniel Hovland, a George W. Bush appointee on retired status in the North Dakota District, issued a preliminary […]

The Senate floor in the South Dakota Capitol at Pierre. (Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight)

Truth in sentencing bill advances to full Senate

BY: - February 7, 2023

A bill to lengthen prison stays for violent offenders earned an endorsement from all but one member of the Senate Judiciary Committee Tuesday morning. Senate Bill 146 saw testimony from nine supporters beyond its prime sponsor, Sen. Brent Hoffman, R-Sioux Falls, including police chiefs, sheriffs and Attorney General Marty Jackley. The bill would abolish parole […]

The South Dakota State Penitentiary in Sioux Falls, as seen on Jan. 9, 2023. (John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight)

First of multiple ‘truth in sentencing’ bills to see debate Tuesday morning

BY: - February 6, 2023

Repeat offenders and people who commit violent crimes would serve more time if lawmakers pass one of the “truth in sentencing” bills on the legislative docket this session. Sen. Brent Hoffman, R-Sioux Falls, worked with Minnehaha County State’s Attorney Daniel Haggar and other criminal justice officials to draft Senate Bill 146. The bill is set […]