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Noem had been waiting to make the appointments until the court offered clarity on conflict of interest language in the state constitution.
Legislators can have contracts with state government if the money comes from the annual budget bill, but not if the money comes from any other bill.
Gov. Kristi Noem said the ruling will free her up to make appointments for two empty seats in the Legislature, both from districts in the Rapid City area.
The South Dakota Supreme Court has issued a 48-page advisory opinion regarding state lawmakers and possible conflict of interests.
The chaos at yesterday’s Senate Republican Conference meeting shows that making a deal may be even harder than it seems.