Wednesday: Judgepedia's "Federal Courts, Empty Benches" Update →Lawrence Piersol
| Lawrence Piersol | |
| Current Court Information: | |
| United States District Court for the District of South Dakota | |
| Title: | Senior Judge |
| Position: | Seat #3 |
| Service: | |
| Appointed by: | Bill Clinton |
| Active: | 11/22/1993 - 7/31/2009 |
| Chief: | 1999 - 2005 |
| Senior: | 7/31/2009 - Present |
| Preceded by: | Donald Porter |
| Succeeded by: | Jeffrey Viken |
| Personal History | |
| Born: | 1940 |
| Home State: | Vermillion, SD |
| Bachelors: | U. of South Dakota, B.A., 1962 |
| Law School: | U. of South Dakota School of Law, J.D., 1965 |
| Grad. School: | U.S. Army 1965 - 1968 |
Contents |
Lawrence L. Piersol is an Article III federal judge for the United States District Court for the District of South Dakota. He joined the court in 1993 after being nominated by President Bill Clinton. Piersol assumed senior status on June 30, 2009[1].
Early life and education
Piersol graduated from the University of South Dakota with both his Bachelor's and Juris Doctor Degrees in 1962 and 1965. From 1965 to 1968, Piersol served from 1965 to 1968 in the Army JAG. [2]
Professional career
After serving in the military and law school, Piersol spent his pre-judicial legal career in private practice from 1968 to 1993. [2]
Judicial career
District of South Dakota
On the recommendation of Senator Tom Daschle, Piersol was nominated by President Bill Clinton on August 6, 1993 to a seat vacated by Donald Porter. Piersol was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on November 20, 1993 and received commission on November 22, 1993. Piersol served as the chief judge of the District of South Dakota from 1999 to 2005. [2]
Notable cases
The notable case section on this page needs to be reformatted.
Judge threat case
Piersol sentenced a Iowa man for threatening federal judge Linda Reade of Northern District of Iowa. The case was heard in South Dakota as judges in both the Northern District of Iowa and Southern District of Iowa recused themselves in the case including Judge Reade.[3]
Robert E. Swanson, who was convicted of threatening Judge Reade, faced a minimum of two years under federal sentencing guidelines. Prosecutors pushed for a harsher term because of his criminal record, which included a 1974 rape conviction, a 1980 sex assault and a 1986 assault.[4]
Judge Piersol ruled that: "Swanson's past crimes should be considered, even though they weren't included in the guidelines." Federal prosecutor Matthew Whitaker concurred with Piersol saying: "because they were so long ago ... that skewed his history and made him seem less dangerous than he really was." Judge Piersol sentenced Swanson to eight years in federal prison. [4]
See also
External links
- List of judges of the District of South Dakota
- Piersol Biography from the Federal Judicial Center
- Associated Press, "Judge's ruling paves way for S. Dakota execution," October 10, 2012
References
| Federal judicial offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by: Donald Porter |
District of South Dakota 1993–2009 Seat #3 |
Succeeded by: Jeffrey Viken |
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Active judges | |||
| Senior judges |
Charles Kornmann • Lawrence Piersol • Richard Battey • John B. Jones • | ||
| Magistrate judges | William D. Gerdes • Veronica Duffy • Mark Moreno • John Simko • | ||
| Former Article III judges |
Andrew Bogue • Donald Porter • John Emmett Carland • Alonzo Jay Edgerton • James Douglas Elliott • Alfred Lee Wyman • John Beck • George Mickelson • Fred Nichol • | ||
| Former Chief judges |
Lawrence Piersol • Richard Battey • Andrew Bogue • John B. Jones • Donald Porter • John Beck • George Mickelson • Fred Nichol • | ||
