Judith Meierhenry

Who is Judith Meierhenry?

Judith Meirhenry is an associate justice and the first woman to serve on the South Dakota Supreme Court.

Meierhenry attended the University of South Dakota, receiving her Bachelor of Science in 1966, her Master's degree 1968, and her Juris Doctor in 1977. She lived in Vermillion, South Dakota and practiced law there. In 1979 South Dakota Governor Bill Janklow appointed her to serve in the State Economic Opportunity Office. In 1980 she became state Secretary of Labor, and in 1983 she became state Secretary of Education and Cultural Affairs. From 1985 through 1988 she served as senior manager and assistant general counsel for Citibank South Dakota in Sioux Falls.

Meierhenry was appointed judge of the Second Circuit Court on December 16, 1988 by Governor George S. Mickelson and presiding judge of the Second Circuit Court in 1997. In November 2002 Governor Janklow appointed her to the South Dakota Supreme Court, and she served until her retirement in June 2011.

Meierhenry's husband, Mark, served as Attorney General of South Dakota from 1979 to 1987.