S.D. judicial nominees ease through U.S. Senate hearing

Theeler and Schulte spared what can be contentious process

Sen. John Thune prepares to introduce Eric Schulte and Camela Theeler March 6 at their Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. The Biden Administration nominated Schulte and Theeler to the federal bench in South Dakota. Both Thune, and Sen. Mike Rounds, who also gave introductory remarks, supported the nominations. (submitted)

There was a brief, bipartisan moment in the often rancorous U.S. Senate March 6, and South Dakota was at its center.

The Senate Judiciary Committee held confirmation hearings on Capitol Hill for four judicial nominees — including Eric Schulte and Camela Theeler. Schulte, a partner at Davenport, Evans, Hurwitz & Smith in Sioux Falls, and Theeler, a Second Circuit judge, were both appointed by the Biden Administration as federal district court judges in South Dakota.

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The positions are lifetime appointees, subject to U.S. Senate approval.

Their elevation to the federal bench in South Dakota comes at a time when one of three district court judgeships is open, and another will soon be open. Other judges have been pressed into service to adjudicate cases — particularly in the Western Division in Rapid City.

Criminal filings were up more than 6 percent from 2022 to 2023. Meanwhile, the number of pending civil cases has increased from 331 to 437 over the last four years, according to federal data.

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