[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 7]
[Senate]
[Pages 10128-10129]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  TRIBUTE TO JUSTICE JUDITH MEIERHENRY

 Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota. Mr. President, today I recognize 
the service of Judith K. Meierhenry to the Unified Judicial System of 
South Dakota. In June of this year, Justice Meierhenry will retire 
after nearly 9 years as associate justice on the South Dakota Supreme 
Court.
  Justice Judith Meierhenry was educated at the University of South 
Dakota where she received her bachelor's, master's, and juris doctorate 
degrees. Upon completion of her education, Justice Meierhenry practiced 
law in Vermillion in 1977 and 1978. She began her service to the State 
of South Dakota in 1979 when Governor Janklow appointed her to the 
State Economic Opportunity Office. This was just the beginning of her 
commitment to South Dakota; she was appointed as Secretary of Labor 
beginning in 1980 and Secretary of Education and Cultural Affairs in 
1983.
  In 1985, Justice Meierhenry left the public sector and worked as a 
senior manager and assistant general counsel for Citibank in Sioux 
Falls, SD. Justice Meierhenry was appointed by Governor Mickelson in 
1988 as a Second Circuit Court judge serving Lincoln and Minnehaha 
Counties. She became presiding judge of the Second Judicial Circuit in 
1997.
  Governor Janklow appointed Justice Meierhenry to the South Dakota 
Supreme Court in 2002. This historic appointment made her the first 
woman to serve on South Dakota's highest court. Though no female had 
preceded her in this post, Justice Meierhenry succeeded in this 
demanding position and now leaves her position having set a standard of 
excellence for her successors, regardless of gender, to follow. Through 
her service, female judges and attorneys in South Dakota's legal system 
now have available to them an exemplary female role model and owe a 
debt of gratitude to Justice Meierhenry. The citizens of the State of 
South Dakota are better for the public service of Judith Meierhenry.
  According to Chief Justice David Gilbertson, during her time on the 
South Dakota Supreme Court:

       Justice Judith Meierhenry has contributed to the legal 
     scholarship of that body in resolving the disputes that come 
     before it. Whether it be a traffic ticket or a death penalty 
     conviction, Justice Meierhenry has approached each case with 
     the application of the highest of legal scholarship. The 
     South Dakota Supreme Court, the legal profession of South 
     Dakota and all of the citizens of South Dakota are all better 
     off for the public service of Justice Judith Meierhenry.


[[Page 10129]]


  South Dakota Second Judicial Circuit court judge Patricia Riepel also 
notes that Justice Meierhenry ``was always well-prepared and decisive, 
she required decorum in her courtroom as well as civility and 
cordiality to all of the participants, and she has worked tirelessly 
for the advancement of women within the legal profession, and 
especially within the judiciary.''
  I wish Justice Meierhenry a happy and healthy retirement. In her own 
words, ``life and time are our only real possessions,'' and it is time 
that she reclaim those possessions for herself and her family. I thank 
Justice Meierhenry for her commitment to the rule of law and her long 
and distinguished career serving the State of South Dakota.

                          ____________________