SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO.com) -- Gov. Dennis Daugaard has appointed attorney James Power to be a judge in the Second Judicial Circuit.
The circuit includes Minnehaha and Lincoln Counties.
He will replace Judge Larry Long, who was also attorney general, in September.
For more information, read the Governor's news release below.
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PIERRE, S.D. – Gov. Dennis Daugaard announced today that he will appoint James A. Power of Sioux Falls as a circuit court judge in South Dakota’s Second Circuit Court.
“Jim Power is a brilliant, hard-working attorney,” said Gov. Daugaard. “I appreciate his willingness to take on the important role of circuit judge.”
Power is a shareholder in Woods, Fuller, Shultz & Smith in Sioux Falls, where his practice is focused on civil litigation. He has been with the firm since 2006. Prior to that, he also practiced law in Atlanta, Georgia, and clerked for a Dallas, Texas, law firm.
“I am very grateful for the opportunity to be a judge, and look forward to serving the people of South Dakota’s Second Circuit,” Power said.
Power grew up in Huntsville, Alabama. He earned a bachelor’s degree in economics with honors from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business in 1989. In 1992, he earned his law degree with high honors from George Washington Law School in Washington, D.C. From 1992 to 1993, he worked as a law clerk for Hon. John Cooper Godbold, a judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, based in Montgomery, Alabama. Power also holds a master’s in theology from Dallas Theological Seminary in Dallas, Texas.
Power and his wife, Lara, have three daughters. He will succeed Judge Larry Long, who is retiring in September. The Second Circuit includes Lincoln and Minnehaha counties.