Trump names Sioux Falls lawyer to top legal post

A Sioux Falls lawyer who is regarded as one of the state’s finest legal scholars has been nominated by President Trump to serve as the U.S. attorney for South Dakota.

Ron Parsons is a partner at Johnson Janklow Abdallah Reiter & Parsons, where one of his specialties has been handling appeals at both the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals and the South Dakota Supreme Court. Parsons is known as an excellent writer and as an expert in constitutional law.

Steve Johnson, a partner at the firm, said Parsons has been recognized as the “foremost” appellate lawyer in the state. Johnson said he even has Parsons handle the appellate work for his clients because he feels they are better served.

“He fit in perfectly with us because the skills we needed and appreciated were his writing and appellate skills,” Johnson said. “He’s a good thinker.”

Parsons graduated first in his class in 1997 from the University of South Dakota School of Law after earning a degree in English from the University of Minnesota. After law school he served as a clerk for Judge Roger Wollman on the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. He is the author of numerous legal essays as well as a collection of short stories entitled The Sense of Touch.

If confirmed by the Senate, Parsons would be one of 94 U.S. attorneys under the Department of Justice who are responsible for prosecuting federal laws. In South Dakota, the U.S. Attorney’s Office is also responsible for prosecuting federal laws in Indian Country. He would replace Randy Seiler, who took the post in 2015.

Parsons, 49, lives in Sioux Falls with his wife and daughter.