Justice Janine M. Kern

Justice Janine M. Kern was appointed to the South Dakota Supreme Court by Gov. Dennis Daugaard and sworn in on Jan. 5, 2015. She represents the Supreme Court First District, which consists of Custer, Lawrence, Meade and Pennington counties. 

Justice Kern received a bachelor of science degree from Arizona State University in 1982 and her juris doctor from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1985. Justice Kern worked in the Attorney General’s office from 1985 to 1996 serving in a variety of capacities including the appellate division, drug prosecution unit and as director of the litigation division. In 1996, she was appointed a circuit court judge in the Seventh Judicial Circuit and served 18 years on the trial court bench. 

Justice Kern is a member of the American Law Institute, State Bar Association, Pennington County Bar Association, American Bar Association Fellows and past president of the South Dakota Judges Association. She served on the Council of Juvenile Services from 2004 to 2013, the Federal Advisory Committee on Juvenile Justice from 2004 to 2008, and on numerous other boards and commissions.