Lincoln, Minnehaha get three new circuit judges

Gov. Noem appoints Mandi Mowery, Jeff Clapper and Eric Johnson

Two new judges are taking the bench in South Dakota’s largest judicial circuit and another is getting a promotion.

Gov. Kristi Noem on Tuesday announced the appointment of Mandi Mowery, Jeff Clapper, and the Honorable Eric Johnson to the Second Judicial Circuit Court.

“The judicial branch is fundamental in establishing law, order, and justice in American society,” Noem said. “Upholding the Constitution is of utmost importance for every branch of government, and this duty carries extra weight with the judiciary. I am confident that Mandi Mowery, Jeff Clapper, and Eric Johnson will lead with excellence as 2nd Judicial Circuit Court judges.”

The appointments come after the state Legislature earlier this year authorized funding for two additional judges for the circuit, which covers Minnehaha and Lincoln counties. The appointments also fill a vacancy created when former Second Circuit Judge Camela Theeler was nominated and confirmed by the U.S. Senate as a federal magistrate judge earlier this year.

According to the governor’s office, Mowery grew up on her family ranch and graduated valedictorian of her class from New Underwood High School. She obtained magna cum laude honors from the University of South Dakota and received her Juris Doctorate from Baylor Law School. In 2006, Mowery returned home to South Dakota, where she joined the Minnehaha County State’s Attorney’s Office. She began handling misdemeanor cases and eventually joined the felony prosecution division, focusing on narcotics prosecution. Mowery has been a prosecutor in the Minnehaha County State’s Attorney’s Office for 17 years and currently serves as a leader of one of the felony divisions.

“I am very grateful to Gov. Noem for appointing me to the position of Circuit Court Judge and allowing me to serve my state and community,” she said. “I endeavor to serve the State of South Dakota and its people with fairness and justice; I will follow the laws as set forth by the people of South Dakota to accomplish those goals.”

Clapper graduated from Creighton University in 1989 and the USD School of Law in 1993. He began his legal career in Sioux Falls at the law firm of Moore, Rasmussen, Kading & Kunstle, where he engaged in criminal defense and civil litigation. He continued his involvement in civil litigation at the Boyce, Murphy, McDowell & Greenfield law firm. In 2002, Clapper became an assistant United States attorney, handling a range of cases including bank robberies, financial fraud, violent crime, and sexual assault in Indian Country. For the past 15 years, Clapper’s efforts have focused on prosecuting online child sex predators and sex traffickers. In 2024, he was designated as senior litigation counsel for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Dakota.

“I am extremely grateful to Gov. Noem for placing her trust in me to serve the citizens of South Dakota as a judge,” he said. “It is a serious responsibility that I will not take lightly.”

Johnson, who currently serves as the 2nd Circuit Court magistrate judge and the 2nd Circuit Veterans Treatment Court judge, is a native of Vermillion who attended Augustana College and graduated summa cum laude in 1996. He continued his education at the University of Nebraska College of Law before beginning his legal career clerking for the Nebraska Court of Appeals. Prior to accepting his current magistrate judge appointment, Johnson worked at the Minnehaha County State’s Attorney’s Office.

“I am honored and humbled by my appointment to the circuit court bench and am excited to continue to serve the citizens of the Second Judicial Circuit in this new capacity,” he said. “I want to thank Gov. Noem for the appointment. I am so grateful for the confidence she has shown in me, and I plan to do my best to make her proud of this decision.”