Karen Schreier


Karen Elizabeth Schreier is a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the District of South Dakota and was the 36th United States Attorney for the District of South Dakota.

Early life and education

Born in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Schreier earned an Artium Baccalaureus degree from Saint Louis University in 1978 and a Juris Doctor from the Saint Louis University School of Law in 1981. Schreier served as a judicial law clerk for South Dakota Supreme Court Justice Francis G. Dunn from 1981 until 1982.

Professional career

Schreier worked in private law practice in Sioux Falls from 1982 until 1993. She then became the United States Attorney for the District of South Dakota in 1993, and served in that capacity until her appointment to the federal bench in 1999.

Federal judicial service

On March 8, 1999, President Bill Clinton nominated Schreier to be a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the District of South Dakota to replace Richard Howard Battey, who had taken senior status on January 1, 1999. The United States Senate confirmed Schreier on June 30, 1999 as part of a package of nominees it approved in a 94-4 vote. Schreier served as chief judge from 2006 until 2013.