SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO AM) - South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley is expected to issue an opinion this week regarding the status of "Marsy's Law."
Jackley appointed a task force of defense lawyers, city attorneys, police chiefs, sheriffs and crime victims to look into the legal issues surrounding the new law.
Jackley says his staff worked over the weekend on the victim's rights measure that is now in the South Dakota Constitution. He says he'll take those findings to the blue ribbon panel this week.
Jackley calls the committee "the experts." While it will be an attorney general's opinion, it doesn't mean he can't solicit the panel's input. He says he'll take that input into consideration and "hopefully put us back on track."
He says he's talked with several attorney generals from other states, including Montana and North Dakota, where a similar law is in place. He hopes it will lead to some consistency as to how the law in being interpreted nationwide.
On Initiated Measure 22, Jackley says his job shifted from writing an opinion on the measure to defending it in the courtroom.
Jackley says he has heard talk about legislators taking action on IM 22 during the upcoming session in Pierre. He says he'll leave that up to legislators. His responsibility as attorney general is to do the best job he can to defend what the voters have said they want the law to be.
Initiated measure 22 revises state campaign finance and lobbying laws.
