Bill Clinton Appointed Federal Judge Attacks SD Gov. Noem From the Bench Over COVID Response

A federal judge in South Dakota, appointed by Bill Clinton, criticized Gov. Kristi Noem and South Dakota’s response to the pandemic in an opinion and order regarding a case that didn’t directly reference her, saying that she has done “little, if anything,” to mitigate the spread of the Coronavirus.

Judge Charles Kornmann wrote that “There is no pandemic exception to the Constitution.”

“South Dakota has done little, if anything, to curtail the spread of the virus. The governor had steadfastly refused to imposed a statewide mask mandate. She has often questioned publicly the scientific fact that mask wearing prevents the virus from spreading,” he continued.

Judge Kornmann concluded that “Her example significantly encourages South Dakotans to not wear masks. South Dakota is now a very dangerous place in which to live due to the spread of COVID-19.”

Governor Noem’s senior advisor Maggie Seidel responded to the outrageous accusations and said, “Lady Justice is blindfolded for a reason. Partisanship has no place in our Courts.”

“It’s very unfortunate Judge Kornmann, a Clinton appointee and the former general counsel for the South Dakota Democrat Party, chose to use his judicial platform to level a personal attack on Governor Noem. She will take the high road and will not respond in kind,” she added.

Judge Kornmann sided with Matthew Kurtenbach, a defendant who represented himself, over arguments written by lawyers for Brad Howell, the Codington County sheriff that’s detaining Kurtenbach pre-trial and ruled that South Dakota can’t use the COVID-19 pandemic as an excuse to delay his trials and says two of them must start no later than January 15th.

It was reported that Kurtenbach petitioned the court at least 25 times for a right to a speedy trial.

Noem issued tweets prior to the new year praising the state’s economic gains in 2020.

In one tweet she said, “Unlike much of the country, South Dakota is seeing increasing tax revenues. In fact, we ended the 2020 fiscal year with a budget surplus and are able to look ahead to 2021 from a position of strength, which allows us to invest in ways to strengthen our state even further.”

Unlike much of the country, South Dakota is seeing increasing tax revenues. In fact, we ended the 2020 fiscal year with a budget surplus and are able to look ahead to 2021 from a position of strength, which allows us to invest in ways to strengthen our state even further.

— Governor Kristi Noem (@govkristinoem) December 29, 2020

In a two-part tweet the day before, Noem said that “South Dakota experienced a truly incredible year. Despite the pandemic forcing businesses to adjust, we have perhaps the strongest economy in the country. Our unemployment rate is back down to 3.5%. We ended the 2020 fiscal year with a budget surplus.”

“SD businesses cut the fewest hours and the fewest wages of any state in America. They had the lowest decrease in demand for their products and services. South Dakota’s economy took a hit when COVID came, just like every state, but we’ve come roaring back stronger than ever,” she added.

SD businesses cut the fewest hours and the fewest wages of any state in America. They had the lowest decrease in demand for their products and services. South Dakota’s economy took a hit when COVID came, just like every state, but we’ve come roaring back stronger than ever. (2/2)

— Governor Kristi Noem (@govkristinoem) December 28, 2020