top of page

What is the Judicial Voices Project?

The Judicial Voices Project is a collaborative attempt at capturing a historic snapshot of the South Dakota Supreme Court on its 125th Anniversary. Partners in this effort include the Court itself, the University of South Dakota School of Law, and the Unified Judicial System. In addition, the South Dakota Humanities Council aided the project with a small grant; additional support came from the Woods Fuller Law Firm in Sioux Falls. 

The members of the Supreme Court pose with entire statehouse force in 1903 in front of the old capital. Front row second from left, Judge Dighton Corson; third from left, Judge Howord G, Fuller, fifth from left, Governor Charles N. Herreid; and sixth from left, Judge Dick Honey.

A central component of this study is the collection of oral histories of the sitting members of South Dakota’s highest bench, the living retired members of the Court, and others with long familiarity with the institution including staff and practicing attorneys. In addition to these recorded interviews, other written and media-oriented elements have been included such as an account of the history of the State’s Constitution, a timeline of the State's judiciary system, prose about the Court, and additional related archival information like photos and documents.

 

Beyond commonly reproduced generalities, there have been surprisingly few efforts to record the unique history of the South Dakota Supreme Court. The Judicial Voices Project takes meaningful steps to fill in these gaps of knowledge. First and foremost, the Project is a comprehensive effort to capture the presently available knowledge of the Court's past from the most readily available, original primary sources: the living Justices, attorneys, and staff most familiar with it. 

Similar approaches have taken place in other states, although recording the oral histories of judges and justices occurs less frequently than you might expect. The most notable series of such extended interviews involves C-SPAN’s efforts to capture the knowledge, recollections, philosophies, and approaches of the nation’s highest bench – the U.S. Supreme Court. Beyond the U.S. Supreme Court, more recent efforts have sought to record similar oral histories of state supreme court justices in roughly a half dozen states including California, Kentucky, New York, New Hampshire, Texas, and Minnesota.

Supreme Court

The Old Hughes County Courthouse

In sum, the Judicial Voices Project seeks to capture the unique voice and reminiscences of members of South Dakota’s highest court in conjunction with an important milestone in the Court: its 125th birthday. We were fortunate enough to have many still living and retired experts on this matter whose perspectives were invaluable in informing the history of the Court. We hope that you find this project to be a worthy effort in the advancement of the history and humanities for South Dakota, the region, and the Nation.

bottom of page