SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg has been suspended from official duties following his impeachment by the South Dakota House of Representatives.
Charles McGuigan is now filling that role. But who exactly is he?
According to his biography on the South Dakota AG website, McGuigan has been with the AG’s Office since 1991, when he joined after graduating from the University of Montana School of Law. Prior to this, he earned his Bachelor’s degree at the University of South Dakota.
His first position with the Office of the AG was as an Assistant Attorney General in the Appellate Section. In 1993 he moved to the Natural Resource Section where he prosecuted and litigated environmental, natural resource and Indian law cases, and in 1995, he also took on the duties of the Legislative Director for the Attorney General’s Office.
McGuigan was appointed Chief Deputy of the Office of the AG in November 2007 by then-Attorney General Larry Long. Prior to this appointment, Long had also appointed him to serve as Legal Director for the Conference of Western Attorneys General (CWAG).
In this position, he was expected to provide legal information on topics such as oil and natural gas; western energy supplies; state preparedness from natural disasters such as forest fires, tsunamis and floods; potential state liability issues arising from Avian Influenza; improving law through multidisciplinary task forces, Clean Water Act and Clean Air Act issues; state legislative initiatives involving methamphetamine in the West; Identity theft and many other topics.
In announcing his appointment to the CWAG, Long said of McGuigan “This position is a great honor for Charlie and a benefit to our office and the state of South Dakota — McGuigan’s commitment to public service and depth of knowledge will be a great asset to the CWAG organization.”
In 2002, he received the Jim Jones Public Service Award from CWAG for his service to the western states. In 2015, he received the Nelson Kempsky Management Award from CWAG, and in December 2019 he was recognized by the National Association of Attorney’s General with the Senior Staff of the Year Award.
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