Suspended state Senator drops federal lawsuit

Sen. Julie Frye-Mueller (R-Rapid City) voluntarily dismissed her lawsuit Thursday against President Pro Tem Lee Schoenbeck (R-Watertown).

On Wednesday, the Senate voted 66 to 1 to reinstate Sen. Frye-Mueller but also censured her and restrict her access to Legislative Research Council staff, interns, and pages.

Her suspension last week arose from a conversation about breastfeeding and vaccinations with an LRC staffer who is a new mother.

The staffer filed a complaint last week, and Republican Senate leadership immediately suspended Sen. Frye-Mueller pending hearings by the Senate Select Committee on Discipline and Expulsion.

In the lawsuit in Federal District Court in Pierre, Sen. Frye-Mueller alleged that her First Amendment and Due Process rights were violated and the rights of her District 30 constituents were violated by the suspension.

February 3, 2023

(Thanks, Todd Epp, SDBA Legislative Reporter)