Roberto Lange
From Ballotpedia - Reading time: 4 min
2009 - Present
13
Roberto Antonio Lange is the chief judge for the United States District Court for the District of South Dakota. He joined the court in 2009 after a nomination from President Barack Obama (D). Lange became the chief judge in 2020.
Early life and education[edit]
A native of Pamplona, Spain, Lange graduated from the University of South Dakota in 1985 with his bachelor's degree and from Northwestern University School of Law with his J.D. in 1988.[1]
Professional career[edit]
- 2009-Present: Judge, United States District Court for the District of South Dakota
- 2020-Present: Chief judge
- 1989-2009: Private practice, Sioux Falls, S.D.
- 1988-1989: Law Clerk, Hon. Donald Porter, United States District Court for the District of South Dakota[1]
During his time in private practice, Lange argued for the petitioner in the 2005 case of Rhines v. Weber before the Supreme Court of the United States. The court unanimously sided with Lange's position when the court vacated and remanded the lower court's decision.[2][3]
Judicial career[edit]
District of South Dakota[edit]
 |
| Nominee Information |
| Name: Roberto A. Lange |
| Court: United States District Court for the District of South Dakota |
| Progress |
| Confirmed 105 days after nomination. |
 Nominated: July 8, 2009
|
| ABA Rating: Unanimously Well Qualified
|
| Questionnaire: Questionnaire |
| Hearing: September 9, 2009
|
| QFRs: (Hover over QFRs to read more) |
| Reported: October 1, 2009
|
| Confirmed: October 21, 2009
|
| Vote: 100-0
|
Lange was nominated by President Barack Obama on July 8, 2009, to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of South Dakota vacated by Charles Kornmann. The American Bar Association rated Lange Unanimously Well Qualified for the nomination. Hearings on Lange's nomination were held before the Senate Judiciary Committee on September 9, 2009, and his nomination was reported by U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) on October 1, 2009. Lange was confirmed on a recorded 100-0 vote of the U.S. Senate on October 21, 2009, and he received his commission the same day.[1][4][5]
Lange became the chief judge in 2020.
Noteworthy cases[edit]
Noem v. Haaland (2021)[edit]
Noem v. Haaland: On June 2, 2021, Chief Judge Roberto Lange, of the U.S. District Court for the District of South Dakota, rejected an attempt by South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem (R) to hold a fireworks display at Mount Rushmore to commemorate the Fourth of July. Lange, an appointee of President Barack Obama (D), declined to grant Noem's request for a preliminary injunction after the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) declined to permit the fireworks display. Upon rejecting Noem's permit, the DOI cited the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and other environmental, cultural, and safety concerns. In her complaint, Noem argued that DOI’s permit rejection letter was "a patchwork of vague and speculative purported concerns" that violated a memorandum of understanding between the state and the Donald Trump (R) administration. Noem also asserted that the 2020 fireworks display "was a rousing success, and not a single COVID-19 case was traced back to it." In his order denying the preliminary injunction, Lange found that "under governing law, the State is unlikely to succeed on the merits of its claims and has not met the requirements" to prove that DOI acted in an arbitrary and capricious manner. Noem said she would appeal the decision, adding, "We will continue fighting to once again return fireworks to Mount Rushmore."[6][7][8]
See also[edit]
- United States District Court for the District of South Dakota
- United States Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit
External links[edit]
Footnotes[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Federal Judicial Center, "Biography of Judge Roberto Antonio Lange," accessed May 17, 2017
- ↑ Davenport, Evans, Hurwitz & Smith, LLP, "Our lawyers: Roberto Lange", July 8, 2009
- ↑ Supreme Court of the United States, Rhines v. Weber, decided March 30, 2005
- ↑ United States Congress, "PN 716 — Roberto A. Lange — The Judiciary," accessed May 17, 2017
- ↑ American Bar Association, "Ratings of Article III judicial nominees, 111th Congress," accessed May 17, 2017
- ↑ United States District Court for the District of South Dakota, "Noem v. Haaland: Noem v. Haaland: Opinion and Order Denying Preliminary Injunction Motion," June 2, 2021
- ↑ United States District Court for the District of South Dakota, "Noem v. Haaland: Complaint," April 30, 2021
- ↑ Office of the Governor of South Dakota, "Arbitrary and Unlawful," June 4, 2021
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
United States District Court for the District of South Dakota 2009-Present |
Succeeded by - |
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominated | |||
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Active judges | |||
| Senior judges |
Charles Kornmann • Lawrence Piersol • John B. Jones • Jeffrey Viken • | ||
| Magistrate judges | William D. Gerdes • Veronica Duffy • Mark Moreno • Daneta Wollmann • | ||
| Former Article III judges |
Andrew Bogue • Donald Porter • John Emmett Carland • Alonzo Jay Edgerton • James Douglas Elliott • Alfred Lee Wyman • John Beck • George Mickelson • Fred Nichol • | ||
| Former Chief judges |
Karen Schreier • Lawrence Piersol • Richard Battey • Andrew Bogue • John B. Jones • Donald Porter • John Beck • George Mickelson • Fred Nichol • Jeffrey Viken • | ||
Federal courts:
Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: District of South Dakota • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: District of South Dakota
State courts:
South Dakota Supreme Court • South Dakota Circuit Courts • South Dakota Magistrate Courts
State resources:
Courts in South Dakota • South Dakota judicial elections • Judicial selection in South Dakota
EncycloReader
is supported by the 
KSF