Jason Ravnsborg
Jason Richard Ravnsborg is an American attorney, combat veteran, and politician from the state of South Dakota. In 2018, he was elected Attorney General of South Dakota.
Early life and education
Ravnsborg was born in Cherokee, Iowa and graduated from Cherokee Washington High School and the University of South Dakota with a Bachelor of Science in history and political science.While in college, he participated in the Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps program and received a commission as an Army transportation officer. Later, Ravnsborg attended the University of South Dakota School of Law, graduating with his Juris Doctor in 2001, as well as a Masters of Arts in history from the University of South Dakota.
Military career
Ravnsborg has had four company commands during his military career. He also deployed on three different occasions. He was deployed to Germany in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in 2003, to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2004, and to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in 2009. He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal after coming under enemy fire in Iraq. He has also been awarded other medals. In 2006, he was honored before Congress for his service.He was a Battalion Commander of the 394th Combat Service Support Battalion commanding over 600 Soldiers in the four states of North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska and Missouri. He is currently a lieutenant colonel in the United States Army Reserve.Legal career
He is licensed to practice law in the states of South Dakota and Iowa as well as the federal district courts for South Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, the Federal Court of Claims and the United States Supreme Court.Ravnsborg clerked from 2001 to 2004. In 2004, he joined the law firm of Harmelink and Fox in Yankton, South Dakota. In 2006, he became a partner at the law firm Harmelink, Fox & Ravnsborg in Yankton, South Dakota. He remained at this position until his election as Attorney General of South Dakota. He also served as deputy state's attorney for Union County.
Political career
2014 United States Senate election
Ravnsborg ran for the United States Senate in the 2014 election. He lost in the primary election to Mike Rounds.2018 South Dakota Attorney General election
In the 2018 election, Ravnsborg ran for Attorney General of South Dakota. He officially began his campaign on February 21, 2017, at the Hughes County Lincoln Day Dinner. During the campaign, he drove approximately 140,000 miles visiting each of South Dakota's 66 counties at least twice learning about issues that were important to law enforcement, state's attorneys and citizens. He then built his platform for the campaign from these issues and by proposing solutions to the issues mentioned around the state. He maintained his law practice at the law firm of Harmelink Fox and Ravnsborg in Yankton, South Dakota and continued being a Deputy States Attorney in Union County. He became the Battalion Commander of the 394th Combat Service Support Battalion based in Fremont, Nebraska where he oversaw 600 Soldiers in the four states of North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Missouri.On March 13, 2017, Chief Deputy Attorney General Charlie McGuigan was the second person to enter the race. On March 16, 2017, Lawrence County State's Attorney John Fitzgerald also entered the race. On September 20, 2017, State Senator Lance Russell announced his run for Attorney General. On March 16, 2018, McGuigan suspended his campaign prior to the nominating convention.
On June 23, 2018, Ravnsborg won his party's nomination at the Republican Convention in Pierre, South Dakota, by defeating Fitzgerald and Russell.
In the first round of Convention voting, Ravnsborg lead with 47% of the vote; Russell had 27%. Fitzgerald had 26% which eliminated Fitzgerald. Ravnsborg then defeated Russell by a margin of 63% to 37% in the second vote.
The Democratic party nominated former U.S. Attorney Randy Seiler, for the general election after he defeated Tatewin Means, daughter of the late actor, writer, Libertarian Party politician and American Indian Movement leader Russell Means.
Ravnsborg was endorsed in the general election by forty county sheriffs, the Fraternal Order of Police, thirty state's attorneys, the National Rifle Association, South Dakota Right to Life, and the Family Heritage Alliance.
Ravnsborg defeated Seiler in the November 6 general election.
Attorney General of South Dakota
Trust case
Ravnsborg filed an amicus brief in support of the Kimberly Rice Kaestner 1992 Trust in the United States Supreme Court in North Carolina Department of Revenue vs. the Kimberly Rice Kaestner 1992 Family Trust The states of Alaska, Nevada and Texas joined with South Dakota in their amicus brief. On June 21, 2019, the United States Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Kimberly Rice Kaestner 1992 Trust, the position of Attorney General Ravnsborg and South Dakota, by a vote of 9–0.Combatting illegal robocalls
- Attorneys General of all 50 states, including Ravnsborg, support SB 151, the TRACED sponsored by South Dakota U.S. Senator John Thune and Massachusetts U.S. Senator Ed Markey. On May 23, 2019, the TRACED Act passed the U.S. Senate 97-1 On December 4, 2019, the U.S. House passed the TRACED Act by a 417-3 vote. On December 31, 2019, President Donald Trump signed the TRACED Act into law.
- On August 22, 2019, Ravnsborg joined his fellow Attorneys General by entering into an agreement with 12 phone companies The agreement detailed 8 specific actions the companies agreed to take to curtail illegal robocalls.
- On May 7, 2020, Ravnsborg announced his continued efforts to combat illegal robocalls by stating he joined a bipartisan coalition of 52 Attorneys General from 49 states and 3 territories calling on U.S. Telecom and its Industry Traceback Group to bolster technological capabilities to improve enforcement against illegal robocallers.
Guns
Transparency
As Ravnsborg campaigned he found many people did not know what the Attorney General did or what services could be provided. He stated in interviews that he would use social media and other campaign tools to be more transparent and explain to the public what the Attorney General's office does for the state. He developed a weekly YouTube video series that was called "What's New at the Attorney General's office" where each week a new video told what was going on in the office or what a particular person does in and for the office. He then appeared on an episode of the South Dakota Public Broadcasting Television program "South Dakota Focus" with Stephanie Rissler where he took questions from citizens across the state. From that episode he developed another YouTube video series "5 on Fridays with South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg" wherein he sought to address questions from the South Dakota Focus program and other topics around the office or through questions he received.National Association of Attorneys General
In 2019, Ravnsborg was named to the National Association of Attorneys General Standing Committees regarding Consumer Protection; Energy and the Environment and the National Attorneys General Training and Research Institute Training Committee. He was also named to the NAAG Special Committees regarding Federalism/Preemption; Gaming; Human Trafficking and Substance Abuse. On August 13, 2019, it was announced Ravnsborg was appointed to the executive council for Special Olympics and Law Enforcement Torch Run. On January 9, 2020, it was announced that Ravnsborg had been named Co-chair of the NAAG Gaming Committee with Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich.Death penalty
- On February 7, 2019, Ravnsborg testified against SB 71, a bill to provide a severe mental illness exemption to the death penalty. The bill was defeated in committee 4–3, but it smoked out of committee and was defeated by the state senate by a vote of 21−12.
- On June 25, 2019, Ravnsborg appeared in the 7th Circuit Court in Rapid City, Pennington County, South Dakota, to request a warrant of execution for Charles Russell Rhines for the 1992 murder of Donnivan Schaeffer. Ravnsborg pointed out that Rhines has been challenging his case 5 years longer than Donnivan was alive. Judge Robert A. Mandel granted the warrant of execution for the week of November 3, 2019 – November 9, 2019 stating there was "no legal reason to postpone it". On October 25, 2019, Ravnsborg announced that the South Dakota Supreme Court had denied Rhines request for a stay of execution and ruled against Rhines with regard to his challenges to the Department of Corrections policies. On October 25, 2019, Ravnsborg announced that a second appeal had been won by the state in the same day in the Rhines' capital punishment case. He announced the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals had dismissed a case regarding Rhines' request for evaluation by mental health providers for a petition of clemency to the governor. On October 31, 2019, Ravnsborg announced that Judge Sogn of the 2nd Judicial Circuit had denied Rhines' request for a stay wherein Rhines sought a stay based on a challenge of the drugs used for the execution. On November 4, 2019, the South Dakota Supreme Court denied Rhines' challenge to the 2nd Circuit decision, and the U.S. Supreme Court denied three late challenges allowing the execution to go forward. Rhines was pronounced dead at 7:39 pm. After the execution, Ravnsborg addressed the media expressing sympathy for the victim and relief the execution was over.
Rural broadband lawsuit
Google investigation
On September 9, 2019, Ravnsborg spoke outside the U.S. Supreme Court about the opening of a bipartisan antitrust investigation into Google by 50 state attorneys general.Investigation of Minnehaha County States Attorney
On September 18, 2019, Governor Kristi Noem requested that Ravnsborg investigate Minnehaha County States Attorney Aaron McGowan after a two-month absence. On October 9, 2019, Governor Noem released Ravnsborg's report which explained that McGowan did not commit a crime, but outlined numerous alcohol-related incidents that Noem described as "unsettling". After the report came out McGowan issued a statement apologizing to his family, colleagues, friends and the public for his behavior. On December 2, 2019, McGowan announced he would be resigning effective December 6, 2019, citing complications with his knee and the on-going media buzz relating back to the report by Attorney General Ravnsborg.Lawsuit to block ERA ratification
On December 16, 2019, the States of Alabama, Louisiana and South Dakota sued to prevent the implementation of the Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.Missing persons
- Ravnsborg introduced a bill, SB 27, to create a missing person clearinghouse. On January 16, 2020, the Senate Judiciary committee passed SB 27, by a vote of 7–0. On January 24, 2020, the State Senate approved SB 27, by a vote of 33-0. The House approved the measure 66-0. On March 18, 2020, Governor Kristi Noem signed SB 27 in to law.
- On July 16, 2020, Ravnsborg held a press conference announcing the Missing Persons Database, that provided a place for the public to review and look up current missing persons and Ravnsborg also announced the start of a new initiative "Missing Persons Monday SD" where he will highlight one missing persons case each Monday. The first Missing Persons Monday SD then began on July 20, 2020.
Faithless electors cases