South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem has granted seven pardons this fall, bringing the total number of pardons she’s issued to 348 since taking office. The pardons were given to people convicted of minor crimes like repeat DUI offenses, drug possession, and disorderly conduct. These pardons were signed on November 27, 2024.
Noem has not granted any new commutations (which shorten sentences) since the summer. She did commute the sentences of two people convicted of murder from 1971 and 1999. Since 2019, she has granted 27 commutations. In South Dakota, a state board recommends clemency after reviewing cases, and the governor has the final say on whether to grant it.
Most of the recent pardons were based on paper reviews (without a hearing), but one involved a hearing. All of them received positive recommendations from the board. Once the governor grants clemency, pardons are filed with the secretary of state, and they are sealed after five years.
In 2022, Noem went against the board’s recommendation and commuted the sentence of Tammy Kvasnicka, who was convicted of vehicular homicide for a 2010 traffic crash. That decision came around Christmas, along with six others.
Last December, Noem commuted the sentences of 12 people convicted of felony drug ingestion, a charge in South Dakota for drug possession based on a failed drug test. These individuals hadn’t applied for commutations but were given a chance at early release. Noem expressed that the state believes in second chances, giving these people an opportunity to rehabilitate and rejoin society.
The pardons granted this fall might be among Noem’s last, as she has been nominated by President-elect Donald Trump to be the next Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. A Senate vote on her confirmation could happen soon after Trump’s inauguration on January 20, 2025.