South Dakota's U.S. attorney leaves the job Wednesday for private practice.Brendan Johnson is opening a Sioux Falls office for the Minneapolis-based law firm Robins Kaplan LLP. Johnson says much of his work will be on internal investigations and with Native American tribes. He says his presence in the state will allow clients to tap into the resources of a national law firm known for litigation. [KDLT]
Johnson has spiritual ties to several tribal nations.
Since Johnson was confirmed as U.S. attorney in South Dakota in November of 2009, he has made outreach to Indian Country a priority. That's essential duty, because federal prosecutors are tasked with law-and-order responsibilities on reservations that are complicated by the impacts of poverty, the realities of history and the complexities of mixed jurisdiction. Enter Johnson, first into a difficult job, then into communities and schools on the reservation and eventually into a sweat lodge. "It's not often that someone from the federal government or the U.S. attorney's office has joined in something like that," Johnson said. "In my mind, it's really important, for us to build those personal relationships." Johnson cooked for an hour and a half and came out feeling changed in ways likely to endure. But then, he has been feeling changed since he began his travels to Indian Country for something other than prosecution work. [Kevin Woster]
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