Senator petitions S.D. Supreme Court to have full Senate privileges restored

Julie Frye-Mueller lost committee assignments over breastfeeding advice, vaccine comments to female staffer

Sen. Julie Frye-Mueller, center, with supporters during a press conference in the last legislative session. (Jonathan Ellis/The Dakota Scout)

Lawyers for Sen. Julie Frye-Mueller are asking the South Dakota Supreme Court to intervene on her behalf, arguing her Senate colleagues are depriving her of her full rights as a senator.

In multiple filings with the court, Frye-Mueller’s lawyers also argue that the residents of District 30, the Black Hills district she represents, are being deprived of their full representation in the Legislature. Besides naming Frye-Mueller as a plaintiff, the filings name three residents of District 30 as plaintiffs.

The multiple filings, made Dec. 22, come just a couple weeks before the start of the 2024 Legislative Session, and nearly one year after the Senate voted to discipline Frye-Mueller.

The Senate voted to suspend Frye-Mueller, a Republican, on Jan. 26, 2023, revoking her voting and floor privileges and shutting down her legislative email account. The Senate then formed a select committee to investigate allegations that she had acted inappropriately to a female staffer on the Legislative Research Council.

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