The Second Judicial Circuit in South Dakota is set to welcome Alison D. Nelson as its newest magistrate judge. The swearing-in ceremony will occur on Friday, October 25, 2024, at 3 p.m. CDT in Courtroom 5B at the Minnehaha County Courthouse in Sioux Falls. The event is open to the public and will be followed by refreshments courtesy of the Second Circuit Bar Association.
Nelson hails from Montgomery County, Maryland. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in history with a minor in biology from Wake Forest University and graduated magna cum laude from American University's Washington College of Law in Washington, D.C. Her legal career began with service as an officer in the United States Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps.
During her military service, Nelson met her husband, and they relocated to his home state of South Dakota in 2017. Since then, she has worked as a prosecutor in both Minnehaha County and Lincoln County.
Nelson's new role as a magistrate judge will encompass duties within the Second Judicial Circuit, covering Lincoln and Minnehaha counties.