The South Dakota House on Tuesday impeached state Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg (R) over a fatal 2020 crash in which he killed a man, Joseph Boever, while he walked alongside a highway. The historic vote, 36-31, removes Ravnsborg from office, at least until the conclusion of his Senate trial, which can't begin until May. Two-thirds of senators would have to vote to permanently remove him from office.
South Dakota has never even tried to impeach an elected official, and its only impeachment inquiry was of a circuit judge in 2017, The Associated Press reports. "I believe impeachment should be reserved only for grave and exceptional circumstances, and I believe this is one," state Rep. Will Mortenson (R) told his colleagues in the House on Tuesday.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"In a few hours, your vote will set a precedent for years to come," Ravnsborg wrote. "No state has ever impeached an elected official for a traffic accident." He argued that having killed a man with his car does not "impede my ability to perform the functions" of attorney general, and accused Gov. Kristi Noem (R) of using the "unfortunate circumstances of a man being killed in a traffic accident to make her political moves," backing his impeachment because of his investigation into her behavior.
Ravnsborg "wants to make this about me, to distract House members, when the question before them is whether he should be the state's top law enforcement officer," Noem tweeted before the vote. "He killed an innocent man, lied about the events of that evening, and abused his office to cover it up."
-
Will Trump’s $12 billion bailout solve the farm crisis?Today’s Big Question Agriculture sector says it wants trade, not aid
-
‘City leaders must recognize its residents as part of its lifeblood’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
10 upcoming albums to stream during the winter chillThe Week Recommends As the calendar turns to 2026, check out some new music from your favorite artists
-
Senate votes down ACA subsidies, GOP alternativeSpeed Read The Senate rejected the extension of Affordable Care Act tax credits, guaranteeing a steep rise in health care costs for millions of Americans
-
Abrego García freed from jail on judge’s orderSpeed Read The wrongfully deported man has been released from an ICE detention center
-
Indiana Senate rejects Trump’s gerrymander pushSpeed Read The proposed gerrymander would have likely flipped the state’s two Democratic-held US House seats
-
Democrat files to impeach RFK Jr.Speed Read Rep. Haley Stevens filed articles of impeachment against Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
-
$1M ‘Trump Gold Card’ goes live amid travel rule furorSpeed Read The new gold card visa offers an expedited path to citizenship in exchange for $1 million
-
US seizes oil tanker off VenezuelaSpeed Read The seizure was a significant escalation in the pressure campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro
-
Judge orders release of Ghislaine Maxwell recordsSpeed Read The grand jury records from the 2019 prosecution of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein will be made public
-
Miami elects first Democratic mayor in 28 yearsSpeed Read Eileen Higgins, Miami’s first woman mayor, focused on affordability and Trump’s immigration crackdown in her campaign
