Roberto Lange

Early life and education

Born in Pamplona, Spain, Lange was raised on a family farm near Madison, South Dakota. Lange earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of South Dakota in 1985 where he graduated magna cum laude. He attended Northwestern University School of Law and received his Juris Doctor in 1988, cum laude. During his time at law school, Lange worked as an editor and boardmember for the Northwestern University Law Review.

Professional career

After graduating law school, Lange worked as a law clerk in 1988 and 1989 for United States District Judge Donald Porter, who was Chief Judge for the District of South Dakota at the time. Lange then joined the law firm Davenport, Evans, Hurwitz & Smith in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, in 1989. Lange became a partner in 1993, and later served as the head of the firm's litigation section. Lange specialized in complex commercial litigation, products liability and significant injury cases, class action and ERISA litigation. During his twenty years with the firm, he handled business disputes for individuals, small businesses, and nationally known clients.

In 2005, Lange argued the case of Rhines v. Weber in front of the Supreme Court of the United States. As court-appointed counsel for a death-row inmate, he presented the issue of whether a federal court may stay a section 2254 habeas corpus petition which included exhausted and unexhausted claims. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Lange's client, by a 9-0 vote, reversed the Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, and allowed the district court to stay Rhines' petition.

Federal judicial service

Upon the recommendation of South Dakota Senator Tim Johnson, President Barack Obama nominated Lange to a vacant seat on the United States District Court for the District of South Dakota on July 8, 2009 that had been created by Judge Charles B. Kornmann taking senior status. The American Bar Association Standing Committee on the Judicial Nominations voted unanimously to rate Lange as "well qualified." The United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary reported Lange's nomination to the full Senate on October 1, 2009. The full Senate confirmed Lange by a vote of 100-0 on October 21, 2009, and he received his commission the same day.

Testimony

Lange in February 2014 testified before the United States Sentencing Commission on implementation of the Violence Against Women Act of 2013. Lange's criminal case load is the highest among federal judges for Native American defendants and violent crime from reservations. Lange served on the national Tribal Issues Advisory Group, and testified before the Sentencing Commission in July 2016 concerning the report of the Tribal Issues Advisory Group.