South Dakota Supreme Court approves public defender for Second Circuit judgeship
New magistrate marks full bench for state's largest judicial district
The largest court district in the state of South Dakota will soon have a full roster of judges again.
A Minnehaha County public defender has been tapped to fill a vacant magistrate judge post within South Dakota Unified Judicial System’s Second Circuit, which announced Monday that the state Supreme Court has approved the appointment of Amber D. Whittington to the bench in Lincoln and Minnehaha counties.
According to an announcement from Second Circuit Court Presiding Judge Robin Houwman, Whittington will take the bench on Jan. 12.
A longtime resident of South Dakota, she grew up in Yankton after spending her early childhood years in Texas and Hawaii. She pursued her undergraduate education at Mount Marty University, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice with minors in psychology and human services.
She is a graduate of the University of South Dakota Knudson School of Law in Vermillion, beginning her legal career at East River Legal Services. She will move behind the bench after most recently working with the Minnehaha County Public Defender’s Office.
Whittington’s appointment follows former Second Circuit Court Magistrate Judge Wade Warntjes’ departure from the bench in October after he became the subject of a conduct complaint.
