Seems like a slap on the wrist. Joe Boever is still dead.
From South Dakota Searchlight.
State Supreme Court suspends law license of former attorney general for six months
by John HultJason Ravnsborg was impeached, convicted for 2020 collision that killed Joe Boever
The former South Dakota attorney general who accidentally killed a man with his vehicle in 2020 will lose his license to practice law in South Dakota for six months under the terms of a ruling released Thursday by the state Supreme Court.
The suspension is effective immediately.
Jason Ravnsborg was impeached, convicted and removed from office in 2022 by the South Dakota Legislature for his actions after the collision just outside of Highmore, which killed pedestrian Joe Boever on Sept. 12, 2020.
The state Supreme Court ruled that Ravnsborg’s conduct after the crash and during the investigation was unbecoming of an attorney, particularly one who’d been serving in a position of trust as South Dakota’s top law enforcement official. Ravnsborg, a Republican, was elected in 2018.
Ravnsborg will be required to reimburse the court and the State Bar of South Dakota for the costs of the proceedings prior to the return of his license. The opinion does not specify an amount.
False statements during investigation
The Thursday ruling on his suspension criticized his decision to stay on as attorney general as the criminal case against him proceeded.
He pleaded no contest in 2021 to two misdemeanor charges, not admitting or denying his mobile phone use while driving and his illegal lane changes. He also settled a civil case brought by Boever’s family.
“It is evident, even as of the time of oral argument to this Court, that Ravnsborg failed to consider how his actions following the accident and the subsequent investigation, would impact his office’s ability to fulfill its duties in such a way that maintained the public’s confidence,” the state Supreme Court’s opinion says.
The ruling also calls out Ravnsborg for lying to investigators about whether he’d used his cell phone during the Sept. 12 trip. An accident reconstruction showed that he wasn’t looking at his phone at the time of the crash, but a forensic investigation of the device found that he’d spent much of the trip using it. Ravnsborg initially denied using his phone at all.
“His evolving explanation regarding the extent of his cell phone use while driving involved actual dishonesty and misrepresentations,” the ruling said. “He only reluctantly admitted that he ‘looked at stuff’ on his phone after he was confronted with specific information found on his phone.”
The state’s high court also called out Ravnsborg for noting his position as attorney general when he reported the crash, as well as in previous traffic stops, as inappropriate.
Shorter suspension than first recommended
The Disciplinary Board of the State Bar of South Dakota recommended a 26-month law license suspension. Ravnsborg contested the board’s recommendation, though he’d voluntarily ceased to practice law. A referee, retired circuit court judge Bradley Zell, ruled that the board had overstepped in some of its conclusions. Ravnsborg had still behaved in a manner worthy of censure, Zell decided, but not suspension.
The Supreme Court heard oral arguments on the case in February.
Chief Justice Steven Jensen, writing for the court, disagreed with the referee and wrote that Ravnsborg had been dishonest and acted in a manner unbecoming of an attorney.
The opinion did not uphold the 26-month suspension, however. Jensen pointed to the case of the late former Governor and Congressman Bill Janklow, who ran a stop sign and killed a motorcyclist in 2003.
Janklow’s law license was suspended for 26 months, but Jensen wrote that the Janklow case involved a felony reckless manslaughter conviction. Ravnsborg’s case involved two low-level misdemeanors – crimes that, unlike Janklow’s, would not result in an automatic suspension of his law license.
The opinion also says that Ravnsborg was “a well-respected public servant for most of his career,” having served in the military prior to joining state government, marking another reason a six-month suspension is more reasonable.
Ravnsborg told the court in February that “he does not plan to practice law in South Dakota after these proceedings are concluded.”
Even so, the opinion says, the suspension should signal that his behavior was a breach of his ethical responsibilities as an attorney and are worthy of sanction.
“While Ravnsborg is unlikely to continue practicing law in South Dakota, we conclude suspension is necessary to preserve the integrity of the profession and deter like conduct by other attorneys.”
Ravnsborg is currently registered as the chair and treasurer of a statewide political action committee named $99 for Freedom, according to campaign finance documents on file with the secretary of state.
The committee had about $28,000 cash on hand as of its most recent campaign finance disclosure, which was money transferred from Ravnsborg’s prior candidate committee, Jason for South Dakota, in 2023. The PAC had not contributed to any campaigns or spent any money beyond office supplies and bank fees as of May 20, the date of the organization’s last public filing.
Calls to the phone number listed on the campaign finance reports were answered with an automated message saying the line had been disconnected, or that the number had been changed.
An email sent to the committee’s listed email address was not immediately returned.
Read the court's opinion embedded at the end of the South Dakota Searchlight article.
This South Dakota Searchlight article is republished under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
Photo: Jason Ravnsborg, former attorney general of South Dakota, speaks during a hearing about the future of his law license on Feb. 14, 2024, at the Capitol in Pierre while his legal team looks on. (David Bordewyk/SD NewsMedia Association).
Related posts
- Strange days for Jason Ravnsborg: from meddling telemarketing to Trump praise
- Slow grind: SD Attorney General Ravnsborg impeached, removed & barred from public office
- Proof we're not in MN anymore, Toto: Ravnsborg reviewing Noem’s meeting with daughter
- South Dakota legislators call for special session to ponder impeaching state attorney general
- Associated Press: Top lawmakers release Ravnsborg impeachment petition for special session
- Justice for Joe Boever: news about Ravnsborg impeachment; Jackley's campaign for office
- Bipartisan group of South Dakota House leaders call for Ravnsborg impeachment inquiry
- A Friday of headlines in the life of South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg
- Top South Dakota lawman: Joe Boever's killer Ravnsborg gets 7th speeding ticket since 2014
- Is anyone pleased with SD AG Jason Ravnsborg plea deal other than Team Ravnsborg?
- Remember Joe Boever: AP reports South Dakota AG Ravnsborg objects to cameras at his trial
- Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Army Reserve blocks Ravnsborg promotion due to Boever death
- Boever death: Ravnsborg didn't see face coming through glass, flashlight like beacon in grass
- Ravnsborg's lawyer enters not guilty plea; South Dakota Attorney General not present in court
- Joe Boever was killed, but Ravnsborg's attorney claims client suffering is the worst thing ever
- Justice for Joe Boever: Governor Noem calls for AG Ravnsborg's resignation; articles of impeachment filed in South Dakota House
- Attorney General Ravnsborg charged with 3 misdemeanors in crash that killed Joe Boever
- Twitter memorials: 5 months ago, South Dakota Attorney General Ravnsborg killed Joe Boever
- Daily Beast: Ravnsborg killed a man. Family members fear Joe Boever has been forgotten
- Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Noem supports using grand jury to speed up Ravnsborg killing probe
- States attorneys looking into killing of Joseph Boever by AG Ravnsborg not talking to Noem
- Rapid City Journal: After 4 months, still no decision on whether AG Ravnsborg will be charged for killing Joseph Boever
- AP: Prosecutors waiting on debris testing in SD Attorney General killing of Joseph Boever
- Governor Kristi Noem takes off her positive pants, given pace of Ravnsborg investigation
- Well, that's illuminating: South Dakota Highway Patrol’s accident report on Boever killing
- South Dakota News Watch: Crash experts question Ravnsborg’s car-deer explanation
- SD News Watch: State's criminal & civil traffic laws favor drivers over pedestrians in collisions
- UPDATED: Joe Boever's tragic death on Hwy 14: news digest about Ravnsborg's fatal accident
- Heat wave Ravnsborg impeachment news digest
- SD Attorney general intrigue: Future roles uncertain for Jackley, Natvig — and Ravnsborg
- Joseph Boever's killer Ravnsborg confirms he's not seeking re-election as Attorney General
- Breaking Ravnsborg? Joseph Boever's killer won't seek re-election as SD Attorney General
- Associated Press: Top aide's entry to AG race suggests Ravnsborg won’t seek 2nd term
- South Dakota News Watch: Political intrigue swirls around upcoming AG election
- Post-impeachment digest: Jason Ravnsborg sees redemption in the South Dakota Senate
- SD Attorney General Ravnsborg impeached by South Dakota House. Next stop: the state senate
If you appreciate Bluestem Prairie, you can mail contributions (payable to Sally Jo Sorensen, 600 Maple Street, Summit SD 57266) or use the paypal button in the upper right hand corner of this post.
Or you can contribute via this link to paypal; use email [email protected] as recipient.
I'm on Venmo for those who prefer to use this service: @Sally-Sorensen-6
Comments